


Family is Everything

by CatPawsInNightSky



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 04:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 112,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatPawsInNightSky/pseuds/CatPawsInNightSky
Summary: This is the sequel to Becoming a Family story, Tony and Ziva are building their family, facing many trials and Challenges ahead of their growing family over the years.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Kudos: 6





	1. The Lucky Seven

**Around June 2021**

A cool breeze wafted through the open bedroom window, gently caressing Ziva's face as she slept in her bed. Ziva stirred awake, shielding her eyes for a moment against the sun light streaming down on her face through the window. She sat up further, noticing Tony's absence. She listened carefully. Not a peep. She got out of the bed and walked over to the bathroom to get freshened up for the morning, slipping a pair of her shorts and Tony's shirt on before she walked out of the bedroom. As she walked past the kids' bedrooms, she saw that the kids were not there. As she walked past the baby's room before heading downstairs, she thought to herself, “ _Tony must've got up early with the kids.”_ As soon as Ziva walked into the living room, Tali looked up and her face broke out in excitement at the sight of her Ima.

“Ima!” Tali jumped up and ran over to Ziva and hugged her. She looked up at her with a big grin on her face. “G'morning!”

“Oh my Tali, Good morning, Tali” Ziva smiled as she looked down at Tali as she hugged her.

Nearby, AJ cooed from his walker, flapping his arms and patting the walker. He chortled as Ziva looked over at him, then squealed in delight as Ziva picked AJ up into her arms.

“Hi, my little man!” She smooched him on his cheek, then set him back in his walker. She stood up and looked around, wondering.

“Tali, is Daddy in the kitchen?” Ziva looked back at Tali and smiled.

Tali nodded and pointed toward the kitchen. “Yup, Daddy is cooking breakfast.”

Almost simultaneously with Tali's reply, Tony called out, “In here, hon!”

“Ah, there's the big man himself.” She chuckled as she walked toward the kitchen.

Just before entering the kitchen, Ziva paused at the doorway and leaned against the doorframe, watching Tony go through the breakfast preparation routine. As Tony turned toward the kitchen island from the stove, their eyes clicked together as they smiled at each other.

“Well, hello there, sweetcheeks.” Tony smiled as he gazed at her now-protruding belly. He was transfixed at the sight of his pregnant wife. “How are you, my love?” He waggled his eyebrows.

Ziva giggled, as she walked toward Tony, giving him gentle head slap, “Good morning, my Tony.” Ziva got closer to Tony, planting a kiss on Tony's lips. She drew back slightly. “You better not let the food burn.” She giggled.

“Ohhh, Ima, Daddy!” They both looked down at Tali, who was giggling. She had seen them kiss each other. Ziva broke out in laughter, followed by Tony.

“Go, finish breakfast.” Ziva smiled and shooed Tony back to the kitchen as she walked to the dining-room table. Ziva turned to Tali. “Would you help me set the table while I take care of AJ?”

Tali nodded and went to set the table as Ziva picked AJ up from the walker and took him to his room to get changed and nursed.

As soon as Ziva returned with AJ and put him in his high chair, Tony brought out the food for the family. Tony and Ziva served out the food on table: monstrous-sized omelets with diced peppers and tomatoes and beef for Tony and Ziva, pancakes for the children along with a small amount of the omelets for Tali. As Ziva ate, she alternated between eating and feeding AJ some baby food.

Ziva looked up from her omelets and smiled at Tony.

“Wonderful. You should open up a diner, this is good.” She reached across the table and grasped Tony's hand, tilting her head at Tony.

Tony chuckled. “Oh, sure, the DiNozzo Diner. Who knows?” He returned the grasp. He placed his other hand on top of the other hand and Ziva's. “You know, it opened earlier than usual, thanks to AJ.”

Ziva chuckled as she set her drink down, almost laughing into the drink. She reached out and stroked his scruffy beard. “You've been doing awesome. I appreciate how you do things to help me out here.” Ziva smiled at Tony.

Tali piped up. “Ima, I helped Daddy with AJ. We watched some TV while Daddy was making breakfast.” She smiled at Ziva.

Ziva chuckled, looking at Tali. “You're the best big sister to AJ, you know that?”

Tali smiled and nodded. She went back to eating her breakfast.

Tony nodded. “Oh yeah, got up at 5 AM, like I said, because of AJ. Wet diaper, you know the deal.” He raised an eyebrow. “You were sleeping just like the S _leeping Beauty_ movie, so I figured I'd go see what he needed and to get breakfast going. Tali woke up not too long afterwards.”

Ziva nodded, smiling, and went back to her eating.

Later in the day, after they had done their chores, Tony walked in, slightly sweaty from mowing the lawn. As he walked in, Ziva heard his phone ding. She turned to Tony. “I can smell you from way over here. Go get cleaned up.”

Tony chuckled. “Take in the essence de DiNozzo.” He wafted his smelly manhood into the air.

Ziva held her nose and pointed to the living room. “Go. Clead up dow, or else!” Her speech was altered by her holding her nose against the stench. The smells have been overpowering for her lately.

Tony chuckled and walked away, and as he did so, he pulled his phone out. The screen read McGee's name. He opened it. “ _Up for some company?_ ” the text read.

As he rounded the corner into his bedroom, he typed out, “ _Sure, meet in backyard._ ” No response afterwards. He got cleaned up and returned downstairs.

“Feeling better now?” Ziva called out from her recliner. Tony noticed that the kids were on the couch, sleeping, the TV going on a cartoon channel.

Tony chuckled. “Never better. McElflord wants to come over. I said sure, we can hang out in the backyard.”

“Oh? What's he up to?” Ziva raised an eyebrow.

Tony shrugged. “Not sure. Guess he wants a little company.” They had noticed McGee hanging over a little more than usual lately.

“You think something's bothering him?” Ziva tilted her head.

“Only one way to find out.” He headed toward the backyard.

A few moments later, Ziva caught sight of McGee in the backyard. She took a quick glance at the sleeping children, and decided that it was okay for her to step away for just a couple of moments. She headed towards the backyard and stood just outside the door. “Hello there, McGee. How's things been for you?”

McGee looked up at her. “Oh, hello. Been doing okay.” McGee considered the answer for a moment.

Tony looked at McGee. “You _sure_ you're doing okay?” He chuckled slightly.

As Ziva sat by Tony, McGee smiled nervously. “Yes. Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking.”

Tony raised a finger. “Hey, hey now, don't break your geek brain from overthinking things. Now, what's on your mind?”

McGee chuckled. “It's, uh, about work. Have you ever gotten to the point where...” McGee stopped because he wasn't sure how to frame the question.

Tony thought for a moment. “Oh, like it's getting old on you?”

Ziva nodded. “Or stuck in a grind?”

McGee looked up. “In a rut. No.... yeah... well, I don't know.” He shrugged. “The last few cases have been hard on me.”

“Like how?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Gibbs driving you like a slave driver these days?”

Ziva chuckled. McGee snorted. “It's not him. It's more the cases, they seem to kinda blend in with each other these days.”

Ziva nodded. “Like the days themselves blend?”

McGee shook his head. “No, more like I'm... a piece of functional furniture nowadays?”

Tony chuckled. “What's stopping you? Call it good, hang up the badge and gun.” Tony shrugged. “Heck, write all you want, you'll have all the time in the world.”

McGee guffawed. “With these Elflets running around? Fat chance of that happening for a while.”

“So what about it?” McGee looked over at Ziva. She raised an eyebrow. “Hand in your notice?”

McGee nodded. “It's not the same anymore these days, not like years ago when we were together.” He shrugged. “That's why I've been thinking of quitting.” He amended his last statement. “Retiring, actually.”

Ziva nodded. “So, go for it. I've handed in my resignation not too long ago.”

McGee looked up with surprise on his face. “I didn't know that.” He blinked his eyes. “Really?”

Ziva nodded. “Getting to be a full-time job, raising my family here.” She smiled.

Tony nodded. “Yeah, look at us. Ever since she's handed in her notice we've been doing awesome. Less stress.”

McGee nodded. “Good point.” He turned to Ziva. “After what you went through with AJ? Don't blame you there.”

Ziva nodded. “Look, whatever you decide, we're behind you. One hundred percent.” She got up. “You hang in there. I need to go fix dinner.”

McGee's face brightened. “Oh, speaking of dinner, I need to get headed home, because I've got dinner waiting.” McGee breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thanks for talking with me.”

Tony said, “Not a problem. Catch you later.”

~~Tiva~~

Sometime in mid-September 2021, Tony and Ziva threw a small birthday party for AJ, his first birthday. Ziva had not been feeling well; she was due to pop anytime. Still, she managed to make the birthday party special for AJ by having a small family cookout. Sometime during the cookout, Rivka showed up.

“Brought some clothes, just in case,” Rivka said.

Ziva smiled. “Glad you came. Was starting to wonder where you were.”

Rivka chuckled. “Oh yeah, traffic. You know Gibbs and the traffic.”

Tony chuckled. He had flashbacks of Gibbs swearing at snarled-up traffic in the past.

“Gibbs?” Ziva raised an eyebrow. Just then, Gibbs walked into the backyard. She looked up. “Oh, there you are. Hi.”

“Phone.” He held up his phone. “Work called.” But he didn't turn around to leave, not yet.

Tali ran up to Gibbs. “Papa!”

Gibbs chuckled and hugged Tali. “Good to see you. Having a good day?”

Tali nodded and smiled. “AJ's one year old today!”

Gibbs smiled. “Oh, is that right? Where's the birthday boy?” He looked up at Ziva.

“Here you go,” Ziva held AJ out for Gibbs, smiling.

“Happy birthday, little man.” Gibbs chuckled as he took AJ.

AJ chortled. He babbled some almost-words.

Gibbs chuckled. “Oh yeah? You being a good boy?” He tickled AJ a little, causing him to squeal in laughter. He handed AJ back to Ziva.

Ziva chuckled as she took AJ. “You take care, Gibbs.”

Gibbs nodded. “Yup. You too, Ziver.” He waved to everybody, then turned around and left.

A couple nights later, after Rivka helped Ziva cleaning up for the night, she got to relax in her recliner next to Tony and Ziva. “Ahh, done for the day.” Rivka sighed.

Ziva chuckled. “Yes, definitely.” She looked at Tali, sitting in front of the TV set.

Rivka nodded. “I know, so cute in that little couch she got for her birthday. Can't believe she's 7 already.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah, seems like it was only yesterday that Tali came into my life and I became her dad.” He shook his head. “My, how time flies.”

Ziva smiled. “And now we have AJ, together from the beginning.”

Tony nodded. “There is that.”

Just then Ziva yelped in pain. She held her side suddenly.

“Ziva, are you alright, is it the baby?” Tony looked at Ziva, concerned.

“Oh my Tony, she sure is active today.” She gasped just then. “Oh! That felt like I just dropped the football.” Ziva held her breath for a moment, then chuckled at Tony. “I think she's settled down now.” She took a deep breath and sat back in her recliner.

Tali turned around. “Ima?”

Ziva looked down at Tali. “Yes?” She smiled at Tali, just as a fresh stab of pain shot through her side.

“Can we do the bird song?” Tali asked. But Ziva could see that Tali had some concern beneath those eyes of hers.

Ziva licked her lips and nodded. “Sure, we can sing the bird song. Then you need to get ready for bed, okay?”

Tali smiled. “I'm ready for bed.” She pointed to her pajamas.

Ziva chuckled. “No, I mean brush your teeth and all that.”

“Oh!” Tali's face changed into an “oops-I-forgot” look.

Tony chuckled, along with Rivka. Ziva raised her eyebrow and smiled. “See? Now, the bird song.” She started singing in Hebrew.

Midway through the bird song, they heard AJ babbling along with the song. They smiled at AJ and sang some more.

All of a sudden, AJ uttered the words “Dada! Ima!”. He then burst out in a spontaneous giggle.

A collective gasp arose from the adults. “Oh my, Tony! His first words!” Ziva turned her head toward Tony. “He said _dada and ima_!”

Tony gasped in surprise. He hugged AJ. “Can you say it again? I'm Daddy.” Tony cooed at AJ.

“Dada!” AJ cooed, then giggled, waving his arms about and kicking his feet in excitement.

Ziva forgot about her pains for a moment and focused on the moment at hand. She did not want to miss this magical moment of baby's first words. She smiled. “AJ! Can you say 'ima'?”

AJ held out his arms. “Ima!” Ziva knew that look on his face.

“Oh, I know that look. Tony, give him to me please.” She held out her arms for AJ. Tony chuckled and got up and brought AJ to Ziva along with a blanket. She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, then cradled AJ as she received him from Tony and draped the blanket over him and started to nurse him.

Later, in the middle of the night, Ziva slowly got out of the bed, having been awakened by a sudden urge to use the bathroom. She waddled over to the bathroom, turned the lights on and closed the door to, then sat on the stool.

As she sat on the stool, she felt relief as her bladder emptied itself. She sighed, then got up – but didn't get a chance to take a step before a torrent of fluid came spilling down her legs. “Tony!” She yelled. She realized that her water had broken.

Tony sat bolt upright in the bed, noticing that Ziva was not in the bed. He looked towards the bathroom. “Ziva!” He jumped out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom.

“She's coming!” Ziva was holding onto her lower abdomen. Her face had a mix of surprise and pain and shock written all over it.

Tony stood rooted, his brain trying to come to grips with what was about to happen, right there in the bathroom. After a couple moments, his mouth moved, then he managed to slap himself in the back of the head to snap himself out of it. “RIVKAAAAAA!” He bellowed.

Rivka ran into the room almost in a flash. She took one look at Tony. “What-?”

“Ima!” Ziva called out from the bathroom. She grunted in pain. “No time!”

Rivka barged past Tony into the bathroom, and eased Ziva to the floor. “Here, darling. Easy, now.” She turned to Tony. “Warm towels – now! Call 911.”

Tony snapped out of his transfixed state and moved automatically to get some towels for Rivka. He then ran to his phone and dialed the emergency number and called for an ambulance.

Rivka checked Ziva. “Oh, the baby's crowning! Deep breaths now.”

Ziva nodded. She practiced her hypnobirthing breathing exercises. _This is much easier than AJ,_ she thought to herself through the pain. All of a sudden, another contraction hit. She grunted with the pain, and pushed with all her might. At the end of the push, she took a couple of deep breaths.

“Hon?” Tony had returned and was watching.

Rivka turned to Tony. “Hold her head up. Give her some support, encourage her.” She pointed toward Ziva's head.

Tony nodded and knelt beside Ziva and propped her up on himself and held one of her hands. “I'm here, sweetcheeks.” He smiled at her.

Ziva nodded, lips pursed from her breathing exercises. She could feel the pain ramping up, the contraction building up. She let out a hoarse whisper. “Just like Tali...”

Rivka looked up. “What's that?”

Ziva shook her head.

Rivka said, “Okay, push, with all your might! One more push should do it.”

Just as the pain peaked, Ziva grunted and pushed again, with all her might, letting out a primal scream, as the baby came fully out. She panted from the exertion, sweating heavily. Just then, a strong cry filled the room. “Oh! The baby's here already.” She exhaled breathlessly.

Tony watched, jaw agape. He muttered. “Wow, I saw our own child being born.” He hugged Ziva and gently kissed her on top of her head, brushing her hair away from her eyes.

Rivka gasped and smiled. “Oh, a girl!” She took one of the towels and swaddled the baby in the towel.

Tony was mesmerized. “Look at all that hair.”

Rivka chuckled. “Tony, I need something to tie the cord with.” As Tony turned to look for something to tie the umbilical cord with, Rivka added, “Hey, scissors also.”

Tony nodded. He suddenly heard the sounds of sirens. “They're here.” He gently put Ziva down, then ran out of the room to let the paramedics in.

Moments later, the paramedics entered the room, followed by Tony. “Oh, a baby!” One of the paramedics smiled.

Rivka looked up. “Tony needs to cut the cord.”

The paramedics sat down next to Ziva and the baby, and opened their medical chest and grabbed two ribbons and tied off the cord. “Dad, ready to cut the cord?” The paramedic held the scissors up in the air.

Tony nodded, dazed. He was still in disbelief with what was happening in front of his very eyes. “Sure.” He took the scissors and cut the cord. “Wow,” he muttered to himself.

Ziva chuckled at Tony's expression. “First time seeing a birth?”

Tony nodded. His face changed, and the color drained from him. “Oohhh, sparkly.” He dropped to the floor. Everything had finally caught up with him.

Rivka let out a tiny squeal. Ziva exclaimed, “Oh!”

The first paramedic turned toward Tony. “He'll be alright. I don't see any head injuries. Just fainted.”

Rivka chuckled. “Story to tell the grandkids now.” She watched as the paramedics loaded Ziva and the baby on a stretcher.

Just when they got done putting her on the stretcher, Tony stirred. “Bwuh?!” He shook his head. “Uhhh. What happened?”

Ziva looked over to Tony. “You fainted. Apparently.”

Tony sat upright, looking at Ziva. “Wha- oh.” He quickly stood up, suddenly getting slightly woozy. He grabbed onto the doorknob, steadying himself. “Alright, I'll follow you?”

The lead paramedic looked up at Tony. “Sure – take a moment. Catch a breath, here.” He grabbed Tony, to make sure he was steady.

Tony held up a hand. “Yeah, yeah. Just give me a moment.” He stood for a moment, watching the paramedics wheel Ziva out the door, then slowly walked behind them to the bedroom, where he put on his pants, then grabbed his keys.

A day later, Tony and Ziva had returned home with the baby from the hospital. As soon as they walked in through the door, Rivka and Tali met them at the door, AJ riding in Rivka's arms.

“Welcome home, Ziva!” Rivka smiled and hugged Ziva, then turned and looked at the baby. “And to you too, my granddaughter.” She gently stroked the sleeping baby's cheek. She turned to Tony. “Welcome home to you too, Tony.” She hugged him as well.

“Ima!” Tali hugged Ziva.

They all went to the living room to get settled in. As Ziva settled herself in her recliner, she let out a sigh. “Good to be home again.”

Rivka sat on couch next to Ziva. Tony put his things away, and brought the bassinette into the living room. “Here you go. Dusted it off down in the basement. Good as new.” Tony patted the bassinette.

Rivka leaned over to Ziva slightly. “All good?”

Ziva turned toward to Rivka, and held the baby out for Rivka. “Ima, meet Rebecca Joy,” she said in Hebrew.

Rivka looked up at Ziva. “Rivka Joy?”

In English, Ziva said, “Rebecca Joy. Rebecca is Rivka in English, and Joy is Tony's mother's middle name.”

Rivka gasped. “Oh! Such a lovely name!” She smiled, and a tear leaked from a corner of one of her eyes. She took the baby and cradled her close to her bosom, and softly muttered a Hebrew lullaby.

Ziva and Tony looked at each other, then at Rivka holding the baby.

~Tiva~

A/N: Please make sure you have a tissue in your hand.

Sometime in mid-June 2024, as Ziva was entering her 8th month of her pregnancy, she had noticed that this one was very different from her previous pregnancies. Having twins felt more like double trouble to her. However, Tony had been a great help with the children, doing his best to lighten her load as much as possible. Rivka spent every moment of her available time to help her with the kids so that Tony wouldn't get so overwhelmed; Gibbs and McGee pitched in when they could. Today was especially bad, she thought.

“Tony?” Ziva called out.

“Hmm?” Tony looked up from his laptop.

Pain was etched across her face. “Doesn't feel like what I went through with Becky.” She took a deep breath. “Or Tali.”

Tony closed his laptop and set it aside. “Oh, no. Like AJ?”

Rivka was suddenly at her side. “Ziva?”

Ziva shook her head. “No – worse.” A sudden bout of pain shot through her. “Agh!”

Tony sat bolt upright. “We need to take you in now?”

Ziva nodded. “My bag, please.” She pointed to the corner near the doorway.

Tony glanced over, then back at Ziva as he helped her up slowly. “I got it. Easy, now, we're off to the hospital.”

Rivka helped Ziva up, then as they got to the doorway, she picked the bag up and handed it to Tony. “Take care of my daughter, now.”

“I will.” Tony nodded. “Tell...” He caught sight of Tali. He paused and turned around. “Tali, keep an eye on the little ones, and help Savta out. I'll keep in contact with you when I can, okay?” Tony smiled. “Love you.”

Tali caught up to her Daddy and hugged him, then she looked up at her Ima.

Ziva looked back down at Tali. “Ima will be ok. Daddy's taking me to the hospital to make sure I'm okay. Who knows, the baby might be born on your birthday.” She smiled at Tali.

Tali smiled and hopped slightly once. “Really? That'd be cool!” She clapped her hands together in delight.

Ziva and Tony chuckled. “We'll be back before you know it. We'll keep in touch, okay?”

Tali nodded. “Okay! I'll help Savta with the other kids. Hopefully everything's okay.”

Tony nodded, then turned to help Ziva into the SUV. Once she was in, he got in, and as he started the engine, he looked up and saw Tali in the living room window, face pressed up against the glass. One of her hands formed the ILY sign on the window. He saw Rivka step up behind Tali and she, too, placed the ILY sign on the window. Tony and Ziva smiled and returned the ILY signs through the windshield. He then drove to the emergency department.

During the initial checkup at the ER, the staff took her vitals. As the nurse was taking her blood pressure, she became somewhat alarmed. “Wow, the blood pressure's through the roof. We need to get you back in there now.” The nurse wheeled Ziva into an examination bay. Shortly thereafter a doctor stepped into the room.

“What's going on here? Having some pain from the pregnancy?” The doctor flipped through the charts. He stopped. “Oohh, gotta get that blood pressure down.” He turned to the nurse and rattled off some orders for medication to bring her blood pressure under control. “Let's get her admitted and call her OB.”

Tony nodded. “Right – got it.”

The doctor said, “Not you – the nurse. Go fill out the paperwork, sir. She's in good hands.”

Tony stood up. “You got her OB on file?” He rattled off the name of the OB/GYN.

The doctor nodded. “Yes, thanks for confirming the name.” The doctor turned to Ziva. “We need to see what's going on inside of you, so are you okay for a sonogram?”

Ziva nodded. “Sure. This baby is a real dozer.”

“A real doozy, you mean.” Tony smiled.

Ziva looked slightly irritated at Tony. “Go take care of the paperwork.” Pain fleeted across her face.

“Yes ma'am,” Tony said, and did an about face and left the room.

The doctor chuckled. “Your husband?”

“Yes.” Ziva nodded. “A saint. But he can be annoying at times.”

“How's your pain right now?” The doctor asked.

Ziva grimaced. “Comes and goes. Did someone sneak a knife to this baby?”

The doctor chuckled. “Well, let's find out with that sonogram, shall we?”

After a long while, the nurse stepped into the waiting room that Tony was waiting in. “Could I have you step back with me? They just got done with the tests.”

“Oh, great.” He stood up and followed the nurse back to the exam room. There, he saw that Ziva was back and resting comfortably. The doctor was also there. He had a serious look on his face.

“I know that look. It's that look that you give when you tell the president that the world as we know it will end. You know, like the movie _2012_.” Tony looked up at the doctor.

The doctor sighed and patted Tony's shoulder. “It might not be as serious as the world turning itself inside out.”

Just then, a groan reached their ears. They turned to look at Ziva, who was still somewhat groggy from the pain medication. “Tony?” She called out.

The doctor looked at her, then back at Tony. “We had to give her something for her pain. Keep in mind, I kept the dosage light, on account of the babies.”

Tony blinked. “So, did you find the cause of the pain? Or, I mean, is she having the baby anytime?” Tony stuttered slightly, as if his brain had broken slightly. It hadn't registered fully, yet.

Ziva sat up a little further in her bed. “Doctor, just tell us, please, is there anything wrong with me the baby?” A tear leaked from Ziva's eye as she tried to keep her anxiety from creeping up within her.

Just then, the OB/GYN walked in. “Well, we meet again.” She smiled at Tony and Ziva. She opened the charts. “Well, looks like everything's fine with the babies.” She stopped. She opened the charts again. “Babies?”

Tony's head snapped toward the OB/GYN Doctor. “Babies, plural?” His head swiveled toward the ER doctor. “Is that what you're saying?”

The ER doctor nodded. “Confirmed it with this sonogram.”

The OB Doctor looked shocked. “How did we miss the other baby in the previous sonograms?”

The ER doctor shrugged. “No idea. That's not all we found. We had to take her in for an MRI based on what we saw in the sonogram – some sort of mass near the babies.”

The OB/GYN Doctor looked at the charts, then at the images. “Now I can see the other baby, clear as day. What's this mass over here, in the ovary?” She muttered to herself, then zoomed in the image. Then a realization dawned upon her. “Oh. I see what's happening here.”

“What? What's going on?” Tony's mind tried to keep up with the doctors.

The ER doctor closed the charts. He walked over to Tony. “Alright, we've gotten the test results back. I'm sorry it took a little while to get back to you, but I have been going through the history, and I even consulted with your OB, and other doctors about it. We found a sort of growth on one of your ovaries.” He directed this toward Ziva. “What this means, is that every time one of the babies changed position, it put pressure on the growth, hence the pain.”

Tony's face changed. “So, wait, are you telling me, er are you telling us that every time one of the babies wants to push her buttons, they know exactly where to push?”

“Tony!” Ziva back-slapped Tony's arm.

Both the doctors chuckled. The ER doctor said, “No, not quite. But here's the thing. The babies themselves are fine, it doesn't seem to be affecting them, according to the MRI here.”

Ziva spoke up. “You said, in the ovary?”

The OB answered, “We believe that it's a very large cyst within the ovary. One of the larger ones I've seen, to be honest.”

Ziva nodded and considered this for a moment. “And if I gave birth like with Becky?”

The OB shook her head. “No, I would recommend against it. I'd like to go ahead with a C-section as soon as possible.”  
  


Ziva begun to cry. She sang to herself in Hebrew. “Is it cancer?”

Tony became uneasy, holding Ziva's hand. “So does that mean she might have cancer in the ovary? What about the uterus?”

The ER doctor spoke up. “Right, you got it?”

The OB nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

“I'll be back after my rounds with any updates.” The ER doctor turned and left. The OB walked closer to Ziva and patted her arm. She had known Ziva and Tony for years, having previously delivered AJ and Becky.

“Tony, it's not one big mass, it's multiple masses the size of peas all over in her ovary. Looks like she might have had them for a while. I also have some concerns that it may also have spread to the uterus lining.” The OB shrugged slightly. “I'm sorry, I wish the news could be better.”

The news hit Tony and Ziva like a ton of bricks. After a couple of moments, Ziva spoke, slowly at first, then picking up speed. “So, C-section, then what? Take everything else out?”

Before the OB spoke, Tony spoke up. “So, if we left things as is, and let her have birth-?”

The doctor sighed. She knew full well the possible implications. “Well, the chances are if we left it alone and let her carry the babies to term, those growths could spread like wildfire and potentially affect the babies – and the mother. Come to think of it, Ziva, Tony, it might be wise to consider a hysterectomy on top of everything else. After all, your uterine wall is very thin, and I frankly am not sure if you'll be able to carry the babies to term.”

Tony nodded woodenly. Ziva sniffled softly, looking up at Tony, then at the doctor. “Can I talk with my husband alone, please?”

The OB nodded. “Sure, I'll step out for a minute while you guys talk it over.” She turned and left the room.

Tony said to Ziva, “Just a second, I'll be back.” He got up and walked out after the OB.

Tony caught the OB just feet away from the doorway, near the nurses' station. “I want your honesty, is my wife going to be fine?”

Doctor looked at Tony, patted his shoulder, “Look on the bright side. I do think your wife will have a long life ahead of her should we go ahead with it. To put it bluntly, that growth? For a lack of a better explanation, it's trapped by the babies. The moment she gives birth, that growth may let go and it'll be all over for her.”

Tony gulped. He held back his tears. “So, would that also explain the high blood pressure?”

The OB sighed. “I'm not sure, but I wouldn't rule it out. It's kind of hard to tell.”

Tony suddenly had a flashback. “So, why was her pregnancy with Becky relatively easy compared to AJ, and now this?”

The OB had a slightly puzzled look on her face. “You know, that is interesting. Might be something hormonal related. Might be something to look into.” She made a note in Ziva's chart.

Tony stood there, stunned at the news, as he tried to absorb what was just said. “Wait, _babies_ , you said?” He still had difficulty wrapping that around his mind.

The OB giggled. “Yes, twins. It seems that one of them liked to play hide and seek from us for a long time.”

“Wow.” Tony slowly turned and walked back into the room. He closed the door partway, then turned to see Ziva, and noticed that she was quietly sobbing. Tony wordlessly walked closer to the bed, looking down at his wife, tears starting to flow. He held Ziva tightly as Ziva held Tony into her arms, allowing the tears to flow.

“I don't know what I'd do without you,” Tony hoarsely whispered.

Ziva nodded. “If I do not make it,” she paused to take a breath, then swallowed almost painfully; her throat had gone dry. “Take care of the kids for me.”

Tony stroked Ziva's hair away from her wet cheeks and wiped her tears away gently. “My sweetcheeks, the bright side is, it's just in the ovary. Better to have it done now, baby and all. Babies, I mean.” Tony smacked himself in the back of the head. “Babies. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact we're having _twins_.”

This caused Ziva to chuckle slightly through her tears. _Poor Tony had the most difficult time_ , she thought to herself. She hugged Tony, then said, “No more pregnancies, right?”

Tony shook his head slightly. “No, no more. Five kids we got now. Lucky seven, right?” He smiled slightly.

Ziva sniffles, looking at Tony, “Oh my Tony, yes. I think so, too. I think I've had enough anyway. This one seemed to really take a lot out of me.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I could see that. But the bright side is, Ziva, you'll have a long life ahead of you. Enjoy the family.”

Ziva slowly nodded, then smiled. “I think I would like that.” Before Tony could say anything, she raised a finger. “No turning the twins into Elf-lets, either!”

Tony chuckled. “Okay, wanna tell the doc to go with it?”

Ziva swallowed, then took a deep breath. “I'm ready. Let's get this done.”

Tony nodded. He laid an ILY sign on her heart, and leaned over and kissed her. “I love you,” he whispered.

Ziva returned the kiss. “You too, babe. Love you very much.” She held out her own ILY sign.

Tony smiled. “Hang in there. See you soon.” He then went out of the room to give the doctor the go-ahead.

Ziva smiled, then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

After they took Ziva in for surgery, Tony went to the waiting room, then pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to McGee that said, ' _Hey, can you come over @ hospital? Need to talk.'_ He then called Rivka to fill her in on what was going on. After a couple of rings, she picked up. “Hello?”

“Uh, yeah, the babies are coming sooner than expected.” Tony said.

There was a pause. “Babies?” Rivka's voice filtered through the earpiece. There was surprise in her voice.

Tony chuckled. “Yes, that's right, babies. Apparently we're having twins.” He scratched his head. “How can a twin evade detection on sonograms for so long?”

There was a sudden burst of laughter from Rivka. “That sounds exactly like what I had gone through. One of the twins hiding for so long.”

“So, did they take her back already?” Rivka asked.

Tony sighed. “Yeah, they're taking the babies out. Ovaries and uterus too.”

Rivka gasped slightly. “Did-?” She stuttered slightly, then paused. “Did they find something inside of her?”

Tony winced. “I guess it's the big C, or something like it. In one of her ovaries, they say.”

Rivka didn't speak for a few moments. “Just like my pregnancy, too,” she whispered.

“What's that?” Tony hadn't completely catch what Rivka had said.

“Tony, I've had the same thing she went through. Almost exactly. I think it runs within the family.” Rivka's voice was soft as she contemplated the implications. After a moment, she said, “I'll come out when I can, to see Ziva and the babies.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. Thought I'd give you a heads up. You being her mother, I thought you should be the first to know.”

Rivka said, “Thank you. I very much appreciate that.”

“How's the kids?” Tony asked.

Rivka chuckled. “They're wonderful. The girls had a blast in their playroom, playing tea-time.”

Tony chuckled at the image. “And what's the little man been up to?”

Rivka laughed. “Keeping Gibbs busy. I think Gibbs enjoys his company down there in the basement.”

“I really have got to figure out how he even gets his boats he builds out of his basement.” Tony said. “One of these days...”

Rivka burst out laughing. “You know, I've wondered the same thing myself.”

Tony chuckled. “Maybe he's teaching AJ. There you go.”

“You never know. Anyway, not a problem from the kids.” Rivka said.

“That's good to hear.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Tony caught a familiar sight. “Oh, I gotta go. McGee showed up. I'll talk to you later.”

“Keep me posted.” The line went dead.

Tony stuffed the phone back into his pocket. “You're a sight for sore eyes, McGee.”

“What's the word?” McGee asked.

Tony sighed. “They took her back in. It's kinda good, kinda bad.”

Tim looked intently into Tony's face. He stayed silent for a moment. “In what way?” He finally spoke.

Tony shrugged. “Apparently they know why she's been in so much pain lately. Apparently there's some sort of... growth? On one of her ovaries.”

McGee raised an eyebrow. “Oh? That doesn't sound good.”

Almost before McGee finished, Tony said with a puzzled look on his face. “ _Twins_ , bro?!” Tony shook his head. “All this time and we didn't know?”

“What?! Twins?” McGee was just as shocked as Tony was.

“Do you know what this means?” Tony said. He got up and started pacing as he started coming to grips with the whole concept of raising twins. “I'm gonna have to print out nametags for each one so I don't forget their names.”

McGee laughed. “Well? Do you have any idea of the sex of the babies?”

Tony rounded upon McGee. “You know what? That's interesting you ask, because in all of those sonograms we always couldn't really determine whether the baby's a boy or a girl.” Tony had a really puzzled look on his face. “How could they miss a whole _baby_ inside of her, never mind determine the sex of a baby?”

McGee looked on bemusedly. “One of the greatest mysteries of life, right?”

“I gotta tell you something, though, this... C thing... was totally out of left field for me.” He shrugged. “Did not see that coming at all.”

McGee patted Tony on his back. “Totally know what you mean. Felt the same way when I found out about my dad having leukemia.” He raised an eyebrow. “Felt like I got hit by one of those road-trains.”

Tony sighed. “They _say_ that she'll make it through okay, that it's contained right now.” Tony raised a doubtful eyebrow.

“Yeah, gotta hope for the best, right?” McGee said.

After a prolonged wait, the OB doctor came out to the waiting room. When she saw Tony, she made a beeline for him and sat down next to him. Her scrubs had slight sweat stains around the armpits. She flipped open the charts and read quickly the notes, then flipped them closed. “Well, I have to say, the surgery went much better than expected. Your sons are perfectly healthy.”

Tony gasped with a surprise, “Sons? We had boys?”

McGee laughed at Tony.

The doctor giggled softly when she saw Tony's priceless look. “Your boys are healthy, the cancer hadn't affected them at all. Yes, they were born a month early, but let me tell you, they both have a very good set of lungs on them. Good loud strong cries, strong grip response, everything normal.”

Tony was relieved to hear that his sons were okay. Then he looked at the doctor. “My wife? Did she make it?”

The doctor looked down briefly at Ziva's charts this time. “Very smooth procedure. As soon as we got the babies out, we took everything out, and as soon as we removed the ovaries, the cancerous one basically let go, blew up, inside the bowl we set it in. So, it was a good thing we caught that in time.”

“But there's nothing inside her now, right?” Tony asked. He gulped.

The OB doctor shook her head. “As far as we could tell, there was nothing else inside her, it was all in that ovary.”

Tony breathed out a huge sigh of relief as tears started to flow. McGee patted him on his shoulder. He felt as if the whole world had been lifted off his shoulders.

“C-can I see her now?” Tony asked, his voice cracking slightly.

The doctor smiled at Tony, patting his shoulder, “Right now, we placed her in an induced coma, for a day or so. Give her body a chance to rest. We'll wean her off the medication slowly over the course of a day or so, see how she does.”

“A-alright. Sounds good.” Tony nodded.

The doctor reached out and patted him on the arm. “The most important thing you can do for her, is to be there for her.” She looked more intently into Tony's eyes. “Sit by her, talk with her. Let her hear your voice.”

Tony looked up. “She can hear me? Even in a coma?”

The doctor nodded. “Yes. Even in a coma, the sense of hearing continues to function.”

Tony nodded. “Interesting, never knew that.” He got up. “What room's she in?”

The doctor said, “We had to move her to the ICU so we could keep a closer eye on her. If she wakes up pretty well after tomorrow or so, we'll move her back to a normal room.”

Tony nodded. “Gotcha.”

The doctor took Tony back to Ziva's room.

Sometime in the afternoon of the 4th day, Tony was sitting by the bed near Ziva. Nearby, Tali was on the other chair listening to her music on her tablet via her wireless earbuds while playing one of her games.

“Hey.” Tony called out, quietly.

Tali did not look up. She was engrossed in her game, her music blaring away.

“Hey!” Tony called out again, slightly louder.

“I heard you the first time, Dad.” Tali still didn't look up.

Tony scoffed quietly. “Well, then, why didn't you say something?”

Tali looked up. “Look what you did, Dad. You caused me to lose the game!” But she was hardly upset, in fact, she was giggling slightly.

“Trying to be an Elf-let, aren't you?” Tony chuckled.

“Hey, don't blame me, blame Uncle Tim.” Tali smiled and looked back down at her tablet.

Just then, Ziva stirred in her bed.

“Oh look what you just did, Tali!” Tony held out his hands.

Tali burst out in giggles. She pointed to her tablet. “Dad, all I did was make a funny and wrack your mind a little, maybe?” She looked over at her Ima. “I think Ima's trying to wake up.”

Tony looked over at Ziva. Tali studied her parents intently, watching how Tony showed his love to Ziva. She smiled inwardly, allowing the warmth to flow through her, as she saw the love between both her dad and Ima.

That night, Tali had fallen asleep on her chair. Tony slept on his recliner, his feet stretched out, in an angle as close as he could get his feet to Ziva's arm. As he slept, he felt something warm creeping up into his blue jeans by his ankle. At first, it didn't register in his mind, because he was sound asleep.

“Oh my Ziva...” he muttered in his sleep as he felt the warmth creeping up above his ankle, toward one of his sensitive spots. He suddenly woke up, but not fully for a couple of moments, as his mind tried to transition from asleep to awake but fell over. “Wha-?”

“Hey my Tony, I love doing that to you. Having a nice dream?” Ziva giggled softly. Her voice had a groggy sound to it, as if her mind was wading through the cobwebs and it was slowing her down immensely.  
  


Tony sat up slowly and moved closer to Ziva, holding her hand. “Hi, my love. Good to see you again.”

Ziva smiled gently, then she glanced over at the other chair, where Tali was sleeping. “Tali?” She whispered to Tony.

Tony nodded slightly. “She wanted to come today. Got the other kids dropped off at the McGees'. Gibbs and Rivka sure could use the break.”

Just then, the nurses came into the room. As soon as they saw that Ziva had woken up, their eyes lit up in smiles. “Oh, we're awake now, aren't we?” The head nurse said quietly to Ziva.

“Pain,” Ziva said. “Heating pad?”

Tony held up the heating pad he had brought with him. The head nurse nodded her head. “Keep that heat low. We'll be back with something for the pain.” The nurses left the room after they had checked her vitals and made sure everything looked okay. After the nurses left, Tony placed the heating pad on her abdomen.

Ziva smiled at Tony. “Mm, that feels wonderful.” She then looked back at Tali. “She looks uncomfortable over there. Bring her to me, please.” But she was still a touch groggy from the heavy-duty meds that kept her in a coma.

Tony nodded and smiled. He walked over to Tali, and gently shook her awake. “Tali?”

After a couple of moments, Tali stirred. “Daddy?”

“Ima's awake.” Tony said in a whisper. “Do you wanna go talk with her?”

Tali let out a small grunt, then sat further upright. She then stood up, a little unsteadily, then walked sleepily over to Ziva.

Ziva smiled at Tony and Tali, reaching out for Tali, and guiding her to lay by her. As Tali climbed into the bed, Ziva scooted over as best as possible to give Tali some room. As she did so, the last vestiges of the heavy-duty medication wore off, and her mind snapped back into reality. “Oh. I thought I was -” She stopped herself.

“Ziva, are you ok?” Tony asked.

Ziva looked at Tony, then looked at Tali, then looked back up at Tony, “For a moment, I thought I was home.”

Tony sat by Ziva gently, “You had surgery a few days ago. After they got the babies out, they went in there to take your ovaries, your uterus out.” Tony sighed. “The good news is, there is no cancer left in you at all. The babies are perfectly fine.”

Ziva sighed in relief. “That is so good to hear,” Ziva paused for a moment, trying to think of what she wanted to say. She looked down at Tali and stroked her hair away from her cheek. “It sure is nice to have Tali here.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, she wanted to come with me. Guess she was getting a little stir crazy.”

“What's today's date?” Ziva tried to wipe the grogginess out of her eyes with one hand.

“The fifteenth?” Tony automatically reached for his phone and pulled it out and looked at the screen. The display read _June 16, 2024._ He noticed that it was just after midnight. “No, I guess it's the 16th now, it's just after midnight.”

Ziva giggled softly, “Let me try something.” She leaned closer to Tali, then started to softly sing the bird song.

Midway through the song, Tali opened her eyes. “Ima, I'm already sleeping, why do you need to sing the bird song?”  
  


Tony and Ziva looked at each other, then Ziva chuckled. Tony got closer to Tali, “Tali? Are you really sleeping or faking it?”

Tali stirred, but didn't open her eyes. “What difference? It feels so good to sleep by my Ima,”

Tony stifled a chuckle. “Hellooo? Are you actually awake? Because your Ima is and I don't think you are.”

Tali stirred around, “Awake.” She snored slightly. After a moment, she muttered again. “Ima awake.”

Ziva giggles, “Yes, it is me, my sweet Tali”

Tali opened her eyes. In the semi-darkness, she was able to see Ziva smiling at her. “Ima!” She was instantly wide awake as she hugged Ziva. She was so elated that her Ima had finally awakened.

Ziva smiled. “Happy birthday.”

Tali gasped. “My birthday, already?”

Both Tony and Ziva nodded.

“My birthday wish came true!” Tali hugged her Ima.

Ziva winced slightly. “Easy now, my stomach.” Tali adjusted herself slightly so she wouldn't put as much pressure on her abdomen.

“We got to see my baby brothers in the nursery.” Tali smiled.

Tony winced internally. Tali had spilled the beans a little too early.

Ziva looked up at Tony. “Boys?!”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I kinda planned to tell you, but she beat me to it.”

Tali giggled at her dad.

“Well, I guess that changes things a bit.” Ziva smiled.

Tony looked a little puzzled. “How so?”

Ziva tilted her head. “Baby names?”

Tony let out a short chuckle. “Right, I guess we're gonna to make out new name-tags for them so we don't get them mixed up.”

This time, it was Ziva's turn to chuckle. “We'll figure something out.”

Tali stirred. Ziva looked down at Tali. “You okay there, Tali?”

Tali got up from the bed and walked over to her chair and fell asleep again. “Tired.”

Tony got up and draped a cover over Tali, then returned to sit next to Ziva.

After a couple days had gone by, the doctor came into the room. “How's everything going?” The doctor asked.

Ziva smiled. She nodded toward the babies. They lay in their bassinettes, sleeping peacefully. “Just fed them. They're latching on very well. Much less pain now.” She smiled.

The doctor smiled back at Ziva. “That's what I like to see. Looks like you made a good recovery.” She scanned through the charts. “Looks like you're gonna be good to go home soon today.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Ziva was so delighted with the news. Tony smiled a huge smile as he let out a breath of relief. The worst part was over now. _They could now concentrate on being a family_ , he thought to himself.

The doctor smiled. “Considering what you've all been through, I'd say you were fortunate.”

Tony chuckled slightly. “I guess now we could call ourselves the 'Lucky Seven Gang'. Or the 'Lucky DiNozzo's'. I haven't decided which yet.”

Ziva shook her head, but with a smile on her lips. “The 'Lucky Seven'. Has a nice ring to it.”

Tony considered this for a moment, then nodded. “I'll take that.” He smiled.

Just then, the nurse walked in with some paperwork. “Just need to fill out the paperwork here.” She muttered to herself, then got the papers ready. “Have you decided on the names yet?”

Ziva looked at Tony, then at the nurse. “Give us a few moments to discuss the names.” Ziva smiled at the nurse. She paused to think.

Tony nodded. “Could we have some privacy for a few minutes?” He looked at the nurse.

“Sure, no problem. I'll give you a few minutes to talk it over, and I'll leave the paperwork with you.” The nurse turned and left the room.

Ziva looked at Tony, then planted a kiss on Tony's lips. She then looked at the babies. “What about this: Adam Ezra and Ethan Aaron?” Ziva smiled gently.  
  


Tony mulled the names over in his mind. He slowly began to nod, as if he liked the sound of the names. “They have a nice ring to them.”

“Then let's go with that.” She held out a hand. “Pen? So we can fill out the names?”

Tony started looking for a pen. “Oh, yeah. Here we go.” He pulled a pen out of the clipboard that the nurse left behind, and handed it and the clipboard to Ziva, who filled out the baby names.

Later in the evening, after Tony and Ziva had arrived home with the babies, they walked through the living room door, Tony carrying one baby, Ziva the other. As they stepped through, Tony noticed a change in the living room. Ziva took in the new layout, with Tony and Ziva's recliners next to each other, bassinette situated between them, the couch moved over. Rivka sat in her customary spot on the couch next to Ziva. “Welcome home!” Rivka got up and walked toward them.

“Daddy! Ima!” The children got up from in front of the TV and ran around Rivka and hugged Tony and Ziva.

“Oh!” Ziva chuckled and hugged the children with her free hand, as she handed the baby to Rivka. “Good to be home.”

Rivka took the baby as she reached Ziva. “I bet.” She smiled, taking the baby out of the carrier and putting him in the bassinette. She leaned over the bassinette. “Welcome home, little one.”

Tony put the other baby in the bassinette next to the first. He stood back and looked at the twins. “Wow, twins. Who would have expected?” Tony said to himself, shaking his head. He sat down in his recliner.

Ziva smiled, looking at the twins, pulling a thin blanket over the sleeping twins. “A miracle.”

Rivka wrapped an arm around Ziva's shoulders. “It's such a joy to have twins again in our family.” She turned to Ziva and smiled.

Tony looked up at the ceiling, as in contemplation. “The Lucky Seven.”

The children crowded around the bassinette to take in the twins, curious about the new arrivals.

Tali looked up in confusion. “What are their names? How do we tell them apart?”

Becky blurted out, “Two babies?”

AJ wasn't so sure how to respond. He looked intently at the babies, studying their faces. After a moment, he looked up. “Same faces?”

Everybody laughed. “Yes, they look the same.” Ziva said.

Tali gently stroked one of the babies' cheeks. “Wow, twins.” She was just as amazed.

Ziva looked up at Rivka. “We decided on Ethan Aaron,” picking up one baby and handing him to Rivka. She picked up the other baby. “And Adam Ezra.”

“But, how do you know which one is who?” Tali blurted out. She still couldn't figure it out.

“Adam Ezra has blue socks on; he was born first. And, Ethan Aaron has, uhh, no socks on. Apparently, he had kicked them off.” Ziva looked down at the bassinette, noticing the socks. She reached out and got them. “Oh, here they are, red socks.” As she was putting the socks on, she suddenly noticed a heart-shaped birthmark on one of his ankles. She gasped.

Rivka and Tony looked at Ziva, concerned. “Something wrong, Ziva?”

“I didn't notice this until now, look.” She pointed toward the birthmark. “The shape.”

Tony took a glance. “Oh, yeah, I've seen the birthmark before.”

Ziva smacked him. “No, _look!_ The shape!”

Tony looked closer. “Oohhh, a heart!”

Tali looked closer. “Yes, a heart!”

Rivka looked with a shocked expression on her face.

Just then, Ethan shifted his hands in his sleep, and the hand ended up shaped like the ILY sign.

Chills ran down Ziva's arms. “A sign?” She looked up at Tony. She shifted her gaze to Rivka, baffled with the sudden occurrences of things. Deja vu?

Rivka looked at the twins, then at Ziva and Tony. “What do you mean?”

Tony looked at Ziva. She returned his gaze. “The heart, the sign Ethan made – are they signs?” Ziva asked.

Tony raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “No idea. But whatever this is, I guess this is telling us, that's it, we're meant to be the Lucky Seven.”

As she finished putting the socks on Ethan, she looked up at Tony and smiled. She put Ethan in the bassinette, followed by Adam. “I guess so.”

Rivka chuckled, more toward Tony than Ziva. “Why not?”

Tony smiled. “Lucky seven it is.” He leaned back in his recliner.

All the kids mobbed onto Tony. “Yeah, we're the Lucky Seven!” Tony laughed as the kids crawled all over him.

Rivka and Ziva wrapped their arms around each other, watching as the kids mobbed Tony.


	2. A Detour in the Road of Life

**August 2026**

On Friday morning, Tony was in his study, filling out and faxing paperwork over to various agencies, and carrying a quiet conversation with someone on his phone. He leaned back in his chair to peek into the living room, where the younger children played with their toys. Satisfied that all was as they should be, he leaned back forward to his paperwork. He tuned out the sounds of the children watching TV, and listened momentarily at the busy-sounds in the kitchen as Ziva went about finishing up breakfast.

As Ziva put the finishing touches on the breakfast, she glanced up at the older kids. Twelve-year-old Tali looked up. “Ima, do you want us to set the table?”

“Oh, yes, that would be great.” Ziva smiled.

“C'mon, AJ, let's help out.” Tali beckoned AJ towards the silverware drawer, where she pulled out the silverware. “You can set these on the table.”

AJ got up and followed Tali to the drawer to get the silverware to set, while Tali got the plates and glasses.

“Can I help?” Five-year-old Becky walked up to Tali.

Tali turned toward Becky. “Oh, yeah, here are the glasses.” She gave two to Becky, and got the plates to start setting the table. AJ and Becky trailed behind Tali, setting their respective pieces down on the table.

As the twins played in the living room, Ziva started bringing the food out to the table. She realized that Tony was nowhere to be seen. “AJ can you go get your Daddy, let him know breakfast is ready please?” Ziva looked down at AJ and smiled.

AJ smiled and nodded, then turned and scampered off toward Tony's study. Moments after he went in, Ziva heard him say, “Daddy, Ima say breakfast is ready.” She smiled internally.

Tony turned around and looked down at AJ. He glanced at the laptop. As he closed the laptop, he got up and smiled at AJ. “Ah I did not realize how fast the time went. Food sounds good, let’s go raid the food.” Tony patted AJ's shoulder, chuckling as he walked by. He turned to the twins playing on the living room floor. “Boys, time to eat.” He beckoned them toward the table.

“Okay!” The twins said in unison and scampered off toward the table where they jockeyed for their own seats.

At the table, Tony sat at one end of the table across from Ziva while the kids sat on either side of table. Initially, little was heard, save the clinking of silverware against dishes, drinks being poured occasionally. Most of the breakfast had been consumed when the silence was broken.

As Tali scraped up the last of the food onto her fork, she turned and looked up at her Ima. “Ima, I wonder if I could go to Amaya's later, for a sleepover with her and a couple other friends.”

Ziva turned to Tali and looked at her, contemplating her next answer. Before she could open her mouth, Tony interjected. “Tali, do you remember the retirement ceremony that's happening later today?”

Tali shrugged. “Well, yes, but...”

Ziva looked at Tony, then looked at Tali. “We'll see how it is after the party, alright?”

Tali looked at her Ima for a moment, then sighed. “Alright.” Tali went back to finishing her plate.

AJ looked at Tony, patted his arm “Daddy, what is ceremony?” AJ's face had a slightly puzzled look. He'd been absorbing the whole world around him like a sponge as of late.

Tony gave a slight chuckle as he glanced up at Ziva. He returned his gaze to AJ. “A ceremony is a kind of party, a gathering. It's when people get together and celebrate something.” Tony smiled at AJ.

AJ pondered this for a minute as he took the last few bites of his French toast. “Oh.”

Becky looked at Ima, “Look, Ima! I finished!” She pointed to her plate.

Ziva looked over to Becky and smiled. “Oh, that's very good, Becky.” Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something odd about Ethan. She looked more closely. “Are you done, Ethan?”

Ethan looked up from his food. His plate still had a bit of food remaining. “Ima, me done eating.” But Ethan's voice had this tiredness in it that raised red flags in Ziva. She put this aside and helped Ethan clean up.

“Do you want to rest and watch TV?” She asked Ethan.

Ethan nodded, then walked into Ziva, wanting her to hold him in her lap. He started climbing up onto her lap.

“Need some help over there, hon?” Tony looked over to Ziva.

Ziva looked back at Tony. “If you don't mind? Ethan's not himself, I don't think.”

As soon as Tony gently picked Ethan up and laid him on the couch, Ziva got up and put everything in the dishwasher. As she was doing so, she could hear Ethan start crying, sounding very fussy and irritated. She looked up at Tony and Ethan.

“He must not be feeling good, poor little man.” Tony sighed as he gently sat down in his recliner, and laid down with Ethan on his chest.

“Give me a minute,” Ziva called out as she finished loading the dishwasher.

Tali walked to her Ima. “Ima, since I helped with everything, would it be okay if I go see Amaya, until we get ready to go to the ceremony? She lives just down the road.” Tali hoped that this was the right time to ask as she looked up at her Ima.

Ziva looked at Tali. “Hey, did you talk to your Dad about that?

Tali looked at her Ima. “Only if I wrack his mind, he might say yes?” Tali grinned. She had no idea that Tony was standing behind her. Ziva looked at Tali, then flicked her eyes up toward Tony, towering behind her. She tried not to give it away to Tali, so she kept her face neutral.

Tali looked back at her Ima. She must have sensed something, for she said, “Oh my gosh. Daddy's behind me, right?” Her nose suddenly picked up a slight, cloying scent. “EWW! What is that smell?!” She turned around, and gasped, as her eyes fell square in the middle of Tony's chest – and a fresh vomit stain on the front of his shirt.

“Stop!” Tony held out his hands. When Tali turned, she had been getting ready to walk back the way she came.

Tali ran smack dab into his hands. “What is that on your shirt?!”

“Tony, what happened? Why is there vomit on your shirt?” Ziva said. She had finally seen what Tali's head was blocking from her view until Tali had turned around.

“Ethan.” Tony looked slightly pained. He walked over to the laundry room to change shirts. “He's laying down on the couch, he looks a little better already.”

“Hmph.” Ziva looked past Tony into the living room. “Maybe I should go check on him. Go change.” Ziva tossed her washcloth down onto the counter and went to Ethan.

  
While Ziva was busy with Ethan, Tali turned to her dad when he returned with a different shirt on. “Dad? Could I visit Amaya until we're ready to go to the ceremony?”

Tony looked at Tali, standing by Ziva, and looked at his phone for the time, “Alright, Tali, you know the rules right?”

Tali looked back at Tony and rolled her eyes slightly. “Yes, always have the phone on me, check often, always reply back to your texts.”

Tony nodded once. “Alright, yes, you can go.”

Tali perked up, hugged her Daddy, then Ima, “Thank you Dad.” She turned to Ziva. “And you too, Ima. I'll see you guys soon.”

That afternoon, as Tony and Ziva got their children ready to go to the ceremony, Ziva checked on Ethan. He seemed to be feeling better now. “I think he's doing better now.” Ziva looked at Tony.

“Ah, that's great to hear.” Tony nodded as he shot a text to Tali. It read, “ _Time for you to come home, we are getting ready to go, you got 15 minutes._ ”

A couple of minutes later, Tony got a reply on his phone that said, _“Alright, on my way back”_ . Moments, later, Tony heard the front door open.

“You better hurry up, Tali. Two-minute warning.” He crossed paths with Tali as he headed to the SUV.

Tali let out a small yelp and ran up to her bedroom to quickly get ready.

He chuckled as everyone got in the SVU. As he checked the time, he had noticed that it had been longer than two minutes. Tony punched out a couple toots on the horn.

Just as soon as he let up on the second honk, Tali ran out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her and clambering into the SUV. “Alright, I'm coming, Dad!” Tali said breathlessly.

When the DiNozzo family arrived at the NCIS facility, they met up with Gibbs, Rivka, and the McGees in the lobby.

“Hello everybody.” McGee smiled.

“Aunt Dee! Uncle Tim!” The kids gravitated toward the McGees and their children.

Tony and Ziva chuckled.

Tony said, “Looks like you're a kid magnet now, McKidMagnet.”

They all chuckled as they stepped onto the elevator to go up to the bullpen. For the very last time. As the elevator doors opened and they stepped out, they met Vance and Gibbs.

“Well, hello there, everybody.” Gibbs chuckled.

Vance smiled. “Nice to see everybody here. Let's go this way to the gym, shall we?” Vance held out his arm to allow everybody else to file ahead of him toward the gym.

Rivka turned to the children. “Let's follow them, shall we?” She gently herded the children toward the gym, along with Delilah, who led the way.

Vance and Gibbs walked slightly ahead of McGee, Tony, and Ziva as they trailed behind. Vance turned to Gibbs as he walked. “Been an interesting trip for you, hasn't it?”

Gibbs shook his head and chuckled. “Educational at times as well.”

Further behind, Tony, Ziva, and McGee were chuckling amongst each other. “It only seems like yesterday that Ziva was trying to kill us in that forensics van.” Tony chuckled as he looked over at McGee. “And someone lost their lunch that day.”

McGee held up a finger. “Don't even say it.”

Ziva looked back at Tony. But she was smiling. “You know the reason why. Fresh from Israel, you don't easily forget.”

Tony chuckled. “Still scares the daylights out of me when she drives to this day.” He winked at Ziva.

Ziva acted shocked, but her eyes had a smile in them. “No, I do not!” She playfully popped Tony on the arm.

Tali was farthest behind, partially absorbed in her phone, playing a game as she walked. She cocked an ear to the conversation between the trio just ahead of her and laughed internally. She looked up at the trio. “Ima?”

All of a sudden they heard boots clopping down the hallway, accompanied by a squeal. Then a high-pitched rapid fire “Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!”

Tali jumped at the sound, turning and getting a glance of the goth-looking woman running toward them. Revolted, she turned and quickly ran up to Ziva, who had been partially shielded by Tony until now. “Who is that person?”

Tony rolled his eyes internally. He muttered to himself low enough that nobody else heard it. “ _I wish she'd stop that._ ”

Just before Abby reached Tony, Ziva suddenly turned toward Abby from in front of Tony. Abby stopped short in surprise with a tiny squeak in her voice. “Hello, Abby. Long time no see.”

The color drained from Abby's face as if she had seen a ghost. She gulped audibly. “Oh. Ziva!”

Tali tugged Tony's arm. “Dad, I didn't know squirrels wore dog collars,” she whispered, not-so-subtly imitating Abby's squirrel-like hand motions.

Tony stifled a giggle as he pushed her hands down and shushed her. Tali giggled. “Head on to the gym, I'll meet you there.”

Ziva shot a look at the two. “Be nice,” she mouthed the words. But Tony saw a very slight smirk on her face.

  
McGee looked at Abby. “Now, do you believe us? You didn't believe that she was alive.” McGee shrugged his shoulders. Frankly, he could do without her mannerisms. It had gotten old years ago.

“But-” Abby started, then stopped herself. She smiled. “And you two are married to each other?”

Ziva looked at Abby. After a few moments, she looked at Tony, then back to Abby. “We've been married for six years now. And yes, I'm alive and well.”

“Oh! And how'd you make it out alive?” Abby asked.

Ziva looked at Abby, carefully considering her next words. “I have my ways,” she finally said at length. She didn't quite trust her, not now. Too much has changed since she has seen Abby last. Their parting of the ways was less than amicable.

“But were you _there_ at the house?” Abby tried to pry.

Ziva's eyes shot daggers at Abby. “I would rather not talk about it. And if you bring it up again, I will be sorely tempted to use a paperclip on you.”

Abby looked puzzled. “Paperclip?”

McGee chuckled. He quietly said, “Her trademark. Kill you with a paperclip threat.” He raised an eyebrow. “I'm not going to test that.”

Abby nervously chuckled, but the laugh stopped short in her throat at the look on his face. Just then, she saw Tali walking back toward Tony and Ziva. She perked up and walked to Tali. Before she reached Tali, however, Ziva stepped into her path.

Abby stopped short. Before Ziva could say anything to Abby, Tony stepped in. “Alright, you two, we don't need a cat-fight here.” He was glaring at Abby.

McGee looked at Abby. “We don't have the time for drama. I got my family to tend to.” McGee turned his back to Abby and walked down the hallway.

Tony chuckled. “I agree with you there, bro. Be there in a sec.”

Ziva sighed and looked down at Tali. “What is it, Tali?”

Tali whispered to Ziva. “Can we get away from this... person?”

Ziva nodded. “Let's go.” She put her arm around Tali and walked away to the gym with her, smiling at her.

Tony looked back at Abby. “I don't know if you're living under a rock or in a cave these days. But let me tell you something. We found each other again, and now we have a family, and guess what?” He raised his eyebrows and held his hands up in the air, shrugging. “It's been a blast. Moving on from getting stabbed in the back by someone we thought truly cared about us.” He turned around and walked away.

Abby stood there, looking devastated. She realized how the number of friends that were within her circle had dwindled considerably recently, because of how she had been treating them. As she watched the DiNozzos retreat down the hallway toward the gym, a tear fell from her eye. She knew that she would never see them again, that she had destroyed their trust in her.

As the DiNozzos seated themselves in their chairs in a row reserved for them, Tali tapped Ziva's shoulder. “Ima, who was that lady back there?” She imitated the squirrel-hands again. “She reminds me of a squirrel, the way she acts.”

Ziva stifled a giggle. “Oh. A former coworker of ours.”

Tali looked at Tony, “She's weird.” She scoffed. “I mean, seriously, a dog collar? And, is she a squirrel, the way she does with her hands in front of her mouth?” She rolled her eyes.

Ziva and Tony tried their best to hold in their laughter at Tali's candid response. They didn't want to cause consternation with Vance, not now. Ziva shushed Tali. “Be nice, now. Not here.” But she was smiling slightly. Tali _was_ right, Abby certainly grated on their nerves.

As the ceremony started, Ziva suddenly noticed one of Ethan's arms jerked a little. She looked down at him and noticed that he was becoming more clingy. “Tony? Ethan's not himself.”

Tony looked over at Ethan, concerned. He rubbed Ethan's back. “Are you okay, little man?”

Ethan fussed, and curled up deeper in Ziva's arms.

Ziva looked at Tony, “Maybe he's just tired?”

“Ziva DiNozzo?” She looked up. Her name was being called; they were expecting her up on the podium for a speech.

“Ethan? Can you sit on Daddy's lap?” Ziva asked and gently pried Ethan loose, but Ethan fussed a bit.

Tony waved Ziva off and got up. “I'll speak for Ziva, if you don't mind.” He held out his hand toward Ziva. “She's got her hands full at the moment.”

A chuckle arose from the gym. As Tony walked up to the podium, Ziva got up and carried Ethan out to the lobby.

After the short ceremony, everybody filed out of the gym. Ziva looked up at Tony as he exited the gym with the kids. “He's not feeling well. What do you want to do?”

Tony had an idea. He held up a finger to Ziva and turned to McGee. “McGeek, instead of going over to the park like we planned before, do you wanna just hang over at our place?”

McGee smiled. “Yeah, I wasn't really feeling the park, anyways. Did you know that Abby came to me and my family, begging us to let her visit at the park. I don't really feel like seeing her, you know?”

Tony chuckled and nodded, patting McGee's shoulder, “You're more than welcome. We'll just flip steaks and have some fun.”

McGee chuckled. “Right on. I'll swing by in a bit.”

Tony turned back to Ziva. “You okay with that idea, hon?”

Ziva looked up from Ethan. “Yeah, that's fine. Maybe Ethan will feel better when he lies down.”

Tony nodded and smiled. “Catch you later, McGeek.”

Later, at the DiNozzo residence, Tony fired up the grill, while the children played in the backyard. As Ziva put Ethan on the couch so he could rest, the kids sat down in front of the TV set. She went back into the kitchen to prepare for the cookout. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it and held it up to her ear, saying nothing.

“Ziva?” Rivka's voice filtered through the speaker.

“Oh, hi, Ima. How's things?” Ziva smiled.

Rivka let out a short chuckle. “Gibbs asked me to call you. Wondered where you were.”

“Oh, Ima, Ethan's not himself, so we decided to come home instead. McGee's coming over in a little bit.” Ziva put down the kitchen towel she was holding and leaned onto the island counter.

Ziva heard a muted conversation between Rivka and Gibbs. “We're headed your way in a few. He's willing to cook some food for us on Tony's grill.”

Ziva raised her eyebrows. “Oh, that's nice of him. I'll let Tony know.” Her voice was bright and happy with the unexpected surprise.

“Sounds good.” Rivka hung up.

Ziva sent a text to McGee. It read, _Please bring food. Gibbs coming also._

A few minutes later, the McGees arrived with some bags of food for the cookout. Gibbs and Rivka came over shortly afterwards, with a couple bags of meats.

While Gibbs and Tony prepared the meats for grilling, she looked out to the backyard, taking in the scenery, contemplating.

“Ima?” She looked down. Adam was standing next to her.

“What is it?” She knelt down in front of Adam.

He pointed towards Ethan. “Ethan dancing.”

She looked up, and gasped. She saw Ethan's body jerking on the couch. She ran toward the couch and put her hand on Ethan's back, recoiling at the feel of sweat soaking through his pajamas. “Ethan, wake up!” She turned Ethan over, and he hung limp in her arms. Ziva screamed in horror.

Tony looked up from trimming the fat from the steaks and dropped his knife. Tony bolted toward the living room, Rivka trailing close behind. He stopped short as he saw Ziva rocking Ethan back and forth, crying in Hebrew.

Tony got closer. “What's going on?”

“He's burning up!” Ziva looked concerned.

Rivka pushed Tony aside and put the back of her hand on Ethan's forehead. It felt as if she put her hand on the front of a warm oven. “I'm calling 911.” She pulled out her phone.

The ambulance came shortly after and rushed him to the hospital. Ziva rode with him in the ambulance while Tony stayed behind.

That night, after hours of waiting in the waiting room, the doctor came out to meet Ziva. Tony had arrived by then. He took a seat next to the couple.

“Well? How's he doing?” Tony looked up at the doctor.

The doctor sighed. “It was kind of touch and go for the last few hours, but we managed to knock a couple degrees off his fever. It was way up there, almost 105, so we had to ice him for a while to get him cooled down.”

Ziva held her hand to her chest. “Any idea what caused the fever?”

The doctor nodded. “Yes, and that's what concerns me. Has he been around any other children recently?”

The couple looked at each other briefly. “Only our friends' children,” Ziva answered. “Oh, and Tali's friends sometimes come over. Why?”

“It's bacterial meningitis.” The doctor sighed, then checked something in the charts briefly. “It's fortunate that he came in as it is. Any later, and he would probably not have made it. We had to hit him hard with high-dose antibiotics to try to knock that infection down.”

Tony looked as if he had been blindsided by a semi-truck. “What's this mean? Will he get better?”

The doctor nodded his head. “Yes, we feel that he will make a full recovery.”

“But the seizures, what about them?” Tony asked.

“Oh, we think those were caused by the high fever, plus the brain swelling from the meningitis. Now that we've gotten his body temperature down a bit, he's stopped seizing.”

Ziva nodded. “So he will recover fully?”

The doctor sighed. “Very good chance of it. However, I might want to caution you, there is a small chance of deafness in meningitis cases. We won't know for sure until some time has passed.”

Before Ziva could say something, Tony got up from his chair and stormed out of the room. He stopped just outside the door to catch a breath.

The doctor sighed and put his hand on his head. “Let me go talk with him.” He followed Tony out of the room. He expected that Tony would have been halfway to the parking lot by now, but was surprised that Tony was just outside the door. He stood by Tony. “Hey, bud. I am sorry the news is what it is.”

Tony turned on the doctor. “Are you saying that he _will_ be deaf? Like, no ability to hear at all?”

“I only said there was a chance.” The doctor sighed. “Look, the last thing you wanna do in this situation is to walk away, not handle it like a man.”

“How would you know that?” Tony did not expect to hear that from the doctor.

“I know because I made that mistake. I happen to have a deaf son myself.” The doctor sighed. “I totally understand why you walked out just now. I did the same thing, but it cost me my family, and my relationship with my son.”

Tony looked up at the doctor. “So? How do I handle it?”

The doctor looked at Tony. “Handle what? His deafness? You don't know that, yet.”

Tony turned toward the doctor. “I mean what _if._ ”

The doctor patted Tony's shoulder. “Trust me, I know it's a big challenge. But it's not impossible. And it doesn't have to be so hard.” He smiled at Tony. “There are resources available out there that can help, should you get to that bridge.”

Tony sighed. “Thanks. Just that, you expect the kid to totally recover and be back to his old self, but then you get told that this might happen or that might happen. How do you handle the not knowing if he's going to be totally okay down the road?”

The doctor nodded. “That in itself is a challenge. Keep a close eye on your son. And talk with your wife. Together, you two need to be there for Ethan.”

Tony sighed. He knew the doctor was right. “Guess I'll go back in there and be with her. And Ethan.”

The doctor smiled. “That's the spirit. Keep your chin up, okay? I'll keep you posted about any new updates.” The doctor turned and left.

Tony nodded and walked back into the waiting room, and sat next to Ziva and comforted her. “Sorry I walked out. Was just a bit much for me to take on at this time, and I had to catch a breath and think.”

Ziva looked at Tony. “Apology accepted. It's about Ethan, right?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah. It's in their hands right now. Sounds like he'll most likely pull out of it just fine.” He still had his own internal doubts, though, just a little bit.

A week into his hospital stay, Ethan had shown a complete improvement in his health, and seemed to be back to his old self. So much so, that the doctor had given him a clean bill of health, and sent him home.

~~Tiva~~

As January 2027 rolled around, Tony and Ziva sat at the dining room table next to each other. They had noticed some significant changes within Ethan the last five months. Oh, he had some good days, but more often he had bad, and frustrating days. This left them in consternation.

“What do you figure is going on with Ethan?” Tony asked Ziva.

Ziva said, “Not sure, but I may have an idea. Do you notice how he uses his eyes more, how he doesn't interact with the others unless he is very close to them?”

Before he could answer, the doorbell rang. He got up and answered the door. Ziva followed close behind. As she did so, she looked past the living room and looked into it. The kids were watching TV quietly. They looked up at Ziva, then back at the TV. Noticeably absent was Ethan. She stopped and listened. She could hear sounds of playing in the playroom. Satisfied she knew where everybody was, she turned back toward the door.

“Come here often, sailors?” He chuckled at the trio. “C'mon in.” He waved them inside.

Gibbs, Rivka and McGee chuckled at Tony. “Every chance we get,” McGee said.

“Ziva!” Rivka walked toward Ziva.

Ziva hugged Rivka. “Good to see you again.”

“We're gonna head on down to the man-cave,” Tony said to Ziva, smiling.

Ziva smiled and shook her head slowly. “Okay, but don't forget one thing.”

Tony chuckled. “Never.” He hugged Ziva on his way to the basement and pecked her on her cheek. Gibbs and McGee chuckled at Tony as they went down the steps to the basement, Tony's man-cave.

“I got him.” Ziva heard Gibbs' voice drift up the stairway to her.

“McGee!” She caught him before he disappeared from sight. She subtly made the sign for tipping the bottle, then shook a finger and her head. She mouthed, “No drinking.” She didn't want the kids to hear. He nodded and went downstairs.

“So, how have you two been doing?” Rivka turned to Ziva.

Ziva sighed and slowly nodded. She looked over at her Ima. “We've been doing well... enough. I'm concerned about Tony, though.” She looked toward the basement. “He seems to be taking it especially hard.”

“What, the fact that Ethan may be deaf? Yeah, I can see why.” Rivka pondered.

Ziva turned around to Rivka, “Exactly. We, or at least I suspect at least, that Ethan is deaf. Have you noticed the change in him?”

Rivka tilted her head. “Yes, some of them.”

Ziva sighed. “He seems more... irritable. He gets frustrated easily. I don't know what to do.”

Rivka sighed. “What have the doctors said?”

Ziva looked down briefly, then back up at Rivka. A small smile formed on her lips, as if she had come across something that held some hope for her. “Oh, they gave us some referrals. I think we'll go see this one audiologist that came very highly recommended.”

“Oh, that's good.” Rivka smiled. “By any chance, what was the audiologist's name?”

Ziva tried to remember. “A Hubert, I think it was?” She held up a finger, and pulled her phone out and looked up her notes. “Huber. Ted Huber.” She looked up at Rivka.

Rivka's face brightened in a smile. “Oh, yes! Very good audiologist.”

Ziva looked at Rivka. “You know this how, Ima?”

Rivka chuckled. “Oh, he's the same doctor that treated Thomas when he had all those awful ear infections when he was young. I'm surprised he's still practicing.”

Ziva smiled and nodded. “Oh, I didn't know that. Nice to know. Well, after we asked around, we decided to set up an appointment with him to get Ethan tested.”

Rivka nodded. “Good plan.”

Just then, Tali walked into the room, listening to her music on her phone. Adam followed close behind, trying his best to listen to her music also. Adam was drawn to the sound filtering out of Tali's earbuds. As Tali sat on her little couch, Adam sat next to her on the couch.

Ziva watched the kids, then looked back to Rivka and smiled sadly. “Ethan used to sit with Tali and Adam every time Tali played her music. Almost since he came home, he stopped doing that. I just noticed that like 2 months ago.”

Rivka sighed and nodded. “I've noticed it also. Look, if he's deaf, then so be it. It's not the end of the world.”

Ziva nodded. “This much I know. What about Tony? Will he accept?”

Moments later, before Rivka could answer, she saw Ethan walking into the living room, and Ziva followed Rivka's eyesight. As Ethan walked in, he paused to look around in the room. As his eyes swept the room, he saw Ziva smiling at him. He waved at her, and she waved back at him. He giggled at her and walked over to Tali and sat next to her.

Ziva looked at Rivka. “You notice how he uses his eyes a lot more now?”

Rivka nodded. “That's what made me suspect that he may be deaf. Deaf people have to rely on their eyes a lot more now.”

“I'm hoping that we find some answers to this.” Ziva nodded. She looked back at Rivka. “But what about Tony?”

Rivka shook her head slightly. “You'll have to do your best to talk with him. Help him understand. It may not be easy.”

A few days later, Tony and Ziva took Ethan to see the audiologist for Ethan. As the audiologist ran through the tests, Tony and Ziva watched Ethan carefully, watching for any sort of reaction to the tones. As the audiologist kept raising the loudness, there was no reaction from Ethan.

“He's not hearing anything,” Tony whispered quietly to Ziva.

“Look, Tony.” She subtly pointed a finger towards Ethan. He had finally responded by pressing the button to a tone. The audiologist made a note.

“Dr. Huber, what does this mean?” Tony asked.

Ted Huber turned to Tony briefly. “We'll know more when I finish up with the other ear as well.” He turned back to the audiology testing.

Ziva grasped Tony's hands. Her hands were sweaty with anxiety. Tony let out a very soft “ssshhhh” towards Ziva, in an effort to calm and comfort her. He could feel the anxiety radiating off of her.

As soon as he finished the tests, Dr. Huber went into the test booth and came back out shortly after with Ethan. As Ethan walked over to the parents, Dr. Huber took a seat at his desk.

“Well, what's the damage?” Tony asked.

Dr. Huber let out a short chuckle. It was more of a terse chuckle. “Well, considering all things, he's doing amazing, where the test is concerned. However, his ears are not.” The audiologist hit the Print button on the testing program and the printer spat out the audiogram. Huber turned to grab the printout and showed it to the couple. “Okay, as you can see, this represents the left, and right, ears,” he said, pointing out the respective diagrams.

Tony looked up. “So, this is telling us what? I mean, what does the audiogram represent?”

Ziva looked over at the audiogram and listened to the conversation. “The vertical axis, here,” Dr. Huber pointed towards the vertical axis of the chart. “Those represent the loudness of a sound, in decibels. The horizontal axis, that's your frequency.”

Ziva nodded. “Clear so far. And normal hearing is?”

Dr. Huber nodded. “It's within the 20-to-30-decibel range. Basically, leaves rustling, a soft whisper. Your son can't hear that, at all. In fact, he wouldn't hear anything until you turned on the vacuum cleaner, basically.” He pointed toward the valleys drawn on the chart, both ears dropping to the 85 to 90 dB range.

“Oh, great, I can be calling people everything in the book and Ethan won't be telling you that Daddy said nasty words in traffic.” Tony scoffed.

Ziva reached around and gave Tony a head-slap. “Uh-uh, you don't get to say that.”

Tony looked at Ziva. “I thought we were retired?”

Ziva gave Tony that look. “I'm your wife. Unlimited head-slaps.”

Dr. Huber chuckled.

Ziva looked back at Ethan, a tear suddenly falling from her eye. “So, this hearing loss level, what would you call this? Is he totally deaf?”

Dr. Huber shook his head. “Not quite, but he's close to it. Especially in the speech region, that's been hit especially hard by the meningitis.”

Tony just sat there trying to absorb the news. “So, are you telling me that he will never ever hear again, at all?”

Ziva grasped Tony's hand in an attempt to comfort him. The look on his face was causing Ziva to be slightly uneasy. She knew how hard Tony was taking the news.

Dr. Huber turned to his desk and pulled a few brochures and pamphlets out. “Yes.... and no.” He turned back toward Tony and Ziva. “Yes, the condition is permanent. However, not being able to hear, we can help with that. Here are some brochures to look through on hearing loss. In the meantime, I'd like to fit your son with hearing aids, if that is okay with you?”

Tony's eyes brightened. “Hearing aids, even for this level of... deafness?”

Even Ziva was impressed. “I didn't realize that you could aid even severe hearing loss like this. I have always thought that hearing aids were only for mild or moderate hearing loss.” Ziva tilted her head and watched Ethan play with some Legos nearby.

“Oh, you'd be amazed at what they can accomplish these days. Oticon and Phonak both make ultra-power hearing aids for severe to profound hearing loss.”

“Hmmmmm. Yeah, go for it, I guess. I want my son back.” Tony said.

Ziva looked at Tony. Something in Tony's tone of voice triggered her, but she put it aside for now. She turned back to Dr. Huber and nodded. “He's not been the same since he got home from the hospital.”

Dr. Huber nodded. “That's totally understandable. Let's go ahead and get him fitted in both ears. We'll try with these Phonaks first.” He turned to Ethan and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, and showed him the different hearing aid colors. “Which one do you like?” he said, talking more to himself, knowing that Ethan couldn't hear him. He pointed out to the different colors.

Ethan looked up at Ziva and Tony. “Ima!” He pointed to Ziva's shirt, then to one of the hearing aid colors that closely matched.

Ziva looked down at her shirt. “Oh, you want the red color?” She pointed to the shirt.

Ethan giggled and nodded. He held out his hand in the ILY sign-shape.

Ziva gasped and smiled. “You want red? Okay!”

“Ruby red it is,” Dr. Huber said, chuckling. He scribbled in some notes. He then made some earmold impressions and got those sent off.

Later in the afternoon, Tony, Ziva and Ethan had returned home. During the drive home, Tony and Ziva had not talked much. Both were thinking about how they would break the news to the rest of the family. Ethan had fallen asleep in his car seat.

As soon they entered the driveway, Tony shut off the engine, and sat for a few moments, sighing, and listening to the engine tick as it cooled down. He got out of the SUV, along with Ziva. He turned to open the back door, and got Ethan out of his car seat, startling him badly in the process, causing him to burst out in peals of tears.

“Sorry, my bad.” Tony looked pained.

Ziva looked back at Tony. “Whole new way of life to learn, now.”

Tony stopped for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, just the fact that we now know that he's deaf, and we have to figure out ways to get his attention, talk with him, wake him up.”

Tony nodded. “Oh, great. Sounds like living with a deaf person is a lot more work.” He continued walking toward the house.

Ziva nodded as she slid the key into the keyway of the lock. “Yes it is, Tony. And I'd expect you to do your best to adapt. For Ethan, please.” She turned and looked at Tony.

Tony sighed. “Yeah. At least he's got hearing aids, that's gonna help him hear perfectly clear, right?”

Ziva shot a look back at Tony. “No. We'll talk later about this.” She turned to open the door.

As she opened the door and walked into the house, the children were thrilled to see them and greeted them with hugs. Rivka walked up to them, smiling. She was staying with the kids on occasion to help around the house while Ziva and Tony were seeking answers for Ethan. Tony sat at his recliner and sighed. Ziva looked at Tony for a moment. She then turned to sit in her recliner.

Rivka sat down next to Ziva. “Is everything okay?” She had sensed some tension between Tony and Ziva.

Ziva didn't have a chance to answer, because Tony stood up and called out, “Kids! Turn the TV off, please.”

The kids looked up at Tony. Tali clicked the TV remote off. “What is it, Dad?” Tali asked.

“Alright, we're having a pow-wow.” Tony looked at all of the kids. He noticed that Ethan was not paying attention. He was playing with some of his toys nearby, oblivious to the fact that the TV had just been turned off. “Can one of you get Ethan, please?”

“I'll get him,” Tali said, giggling softly, walking over to Ethan.

“Hey! Make sure you get his attention first, don't just grab him and bring him over.” Ziva held up a finger in the air.

Tali looked at Ziva. “Why?”

Ziva tilted her head slightly and smiled. “We'll explain in a minute.”

Tali returned with Ethan. “Here we are.” She smiled.

Ziva looked at the children. “So, with the pow-wow, what do you do first? Remember the rule?” Ziva smiled at them.

AJ piped up. “We need the mats to sit on.”

Ziva perked up, pointing her finger at the storage chest. “That's right, your puzzle mats. You can go get them out of there and unroll them out on the floor here.” Ziva smiled as she stood up to help AJ and Becky.

Everybody got their own puzzle mats, each one a different color, to identify whose is whose. As they unrolled their puzzle mats out and laid them on the floor, Tony also pulled out a Kooshball and tossed it up in the air and caught it.

As everyone sat down on their mats, they waited as Tony took his seat. He looked at everyone, then took a deep sigh. He then put on an expression on his face that looked like he had drunk battery acid. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so he looked over to Ziva.

Ziva looked back at Tony. She raised an eyebrow at Tony.

“What?” Tony said.

Ziva scoffed slightly. “Kooshball?”

Tony suddenly looked down at his hands. “Oh, yeah. Forgot.”

This caused all of the kids except Ethan to burst out in giggles. Ziva shook her head and chuckled at Tony, then the reaction of the kids when Tony realized he had forgotten that he had the kooshball in his hands. She gave Tony a playful slap on the arm. “He's being silly,” Ziva said.

Tony looked at Ethan and noticed that he had drifted off to play. He tried to get Ethan's attention, to no avail. But, he needn't have worried, because just then, Ethan looked up at Ziva. She smiled at him and beckoned him to sit on the mat next to her. Ethan smiled and crawled back to sit with Ziva.

“Hey, sweetcheeks.” Ziva turned toward Tony. Tony tossed the kooshball to Ziva and she caught it mid-air. This was her cue to lead the pow-wow. She rolled the kooshball around in her hands as looked at Rivka and the kids. She took a moment to collect her thoughts. Then she said, “Alright, kids. I'm sure you all know how Ethan's been seeing a lot of doctors lately.” She paused to look at her children once more; their faces were rapt with attention. “Well, today, we took him to see how well he could hear.” She stopped. There really was no easy way to say it. She shook her head to herself, and then continued talking. “What we found out, is that he's deaf. Or nearly so.”

Tali became quiet, turning this new information over in her head. Slowly, she raised her hand as she looked at her Ima and Dad. Ziva turned her head toward Tali. “Do you need the kooshball to talk?”

Tali looked down, placing her hands on her lap, “Yeah.”

Ziva smiled and tossed the kooshball to Tali, who caught it. “What's it like to be deaf?” She held up the kooshball.

Tony held up his hand. “Kooshball please?” Tony smiled at Tali, as Tali tossed the kooshball to Tony. “That's what I've been wondering, lately. I thought and thought and thought, and came upon what I think might be the best way to explain it.” He pulled out a bag of earplugs. “Let's try out something that could be educational for us with these earplugs. Everybody, take a pair.” He passed the bag of earplugs around after taking a pair for himself.

Becky raised her hand. Tony tossed the kooshball to her. “What do we do? Put these on?”

Ziva held out her hand. “Kooshball?” Becky tossed the kooshball to Ziva, missing her by a mile. Tony caught it instead, then handed it to Ziva. “Oh, thanks. What I think we do, is wear these for, let's say five minutes. Listen with them on, see what kinds of sounds you can hear, how well you can hear them. Okay?”

“Hmmm.” Tali said. She looked at the earplugs, then put them on. The rest of the family followed suit. She then signed, _I love you_ as she looked at Ziva.

Ziva gasped. “You know sign language, Tali?” Surprise registered on her face.

But Tali didn't speak, for she didn't hear Ziva through the earplugs. She did see Ziva's lips move. She raised her eyebrows and smirked slightly.

After a few minutes, everybody took their earplugs off. Ziva spoke first. “Tali, how did you know sign language?”

“Uhm.” Tali pointed to the kooshball.

“Oh!” Ziva tossed the kooshball to Tali. She chuckled. “Forgot I had it.”

Tali chuckled as she caught the Koosh ball. “Amaya's cousin is deaf. That's how I know. I don't know very many yet, though.”

“Oh, wow.” Ziva said, almost before Tali finished.

Suddenly AJ raised his hand. “Kooshball?”

“Oh, sure.” Tali tossed the kooshball to AJ.

AJ missed the kooshball and ran after it, catching it. He then turned and sat. “Ethan's ears are broke? Not working?”

Tali spoke out of turn. “So how's he going to hear, then?”

Rivka held up his hand. “Kooshball, please, AJ?”

“Okay.” AJ giggled and tossed the Kooshball, intending to aim for Rivka, but it ended up bouncing off the ceiling because he tossed it with all his strength. Still, Tony was able to catch the Kooshball. “Well, the good news, I guess, is he's going to get hearing aids. Dr. Huber seems to think they'll help him.” Tony shrugged. “Gotta wait a couple weeks, though, for those earmolds.” He tossed the kooshball to Rivka, where it should have gone.

Rivka caught the kooshball. “That's good to know. Hopefully the hearing aids help him hear well enough to be able to talk.” She held up a finger. “Keep in mind, though, you need to be facing him when you're talking with him, always. He relies on his eyes, now.” She looked at Ziva, who was holding a finger up. She handed the kooshball to Ziva.

“As a family, we also have to adapt. When he doesn't have his hearing aids on, he takes the world in with his eyes. If you need his attention, they recommend either tapping on the shoulder or if you're in front of him, waving in his line of sight.”

“But if he's facing away?” Tali said. “Amaya sometimes flashes the room lights if she wants to talk with her cousin. Saves her from going across the room and tapping her on the shoulder or stomping on the floor.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow and let out a short chuckle. “Oh? No startling her cousin that way, I take it.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tony simmering in his chair. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.

Tali giggled. “Basically. Honestly, the few times I've seen her cousin, he's been way cool. Interesting person.”

Throughout most of this, Tony remained silent, contemplative. He had a slight scowl on his face. “Well, this has been a very interesting day for everyone, I'll tell you that much.” He leaned back and sighed. “I guess pow-wow's done. Daddy's gotta go upstairs for a bit.” He abruptly got up from his chair and headed upstairs.

Ziva and Rivka looked at each other puzzled. “You two need to go be by yourselves. Talk.” Rivka put a hand on Ziva's arm. “I can handle the kids.”

“Really, Ima? You'll do that?” Ziva looked at Rivka, surprised.

Rivka smiled at Ziva. “All you need to do is ask. I'll order pizza for them. Go.” She shooed Ziva toward the stairs. “I'll save you guys a couple slices.”

Ziva nodded and went up the stairs. She returned a few moments later with Tony. “We'll be back later,” Ziva said to nobody in particular.

Tali came running up to Tony and Ziva. “Where are you going?”

Ziva looked down at Tali and smiled. “We'll be back later. Savta's going to order pizza for everyone.”

“Oh, cool!” Tali's face brightened. She turned back and went into the living room.

Tony and Ziva left their house and drove their usual remote spot up the hill overlooking the Alexandria Park. There had not been much conversation on the drive up. Ziva drove the SUV around in a semi-circle so that the back was facing Alexandria Park. She then opened the tailgate from inside and got out and walked around to it. Tony got out and walked around as well.

Ziva sighed as she sat down. “Sit. Please.”

Tony nodded as he sat next to her, and looked out over the park. “What's on your mind?”

Ziva looked down for a moment, then at Tony. “What's gotten into you lately? You seem to be... tense.”

Tony scoffed. “How do you do it, anyway? You seem to have that magic touch with Ethan.”

Ziva shook her head at Tony. “Where have you been the past five months now? Down in that basement, with McGee.” She held out her hands. “All this time I have been researching. Planning for the what-if, preparing for the worst case scenario.”

“But-” Tony stopped himself. She was right. He had no room to talk; he had escaped to his own shell and had not realized it.

Ziva moved his face back to face her. “You know I'm your wife. Talk with me. Tell me how you feel.”

Tony sighed. “And you've known all along what was going on?”

Ziva looked at him for a heartbeat. “Not totally. I've suspected, and so I've taken notes. Observing.”

Tony looked somewhat crestfallen. “And I've always thought it changed his personality itself. This meningitis, I mean.”

Ziva shook her head. “No! Look, yes, I could understand why you may have said that, but it's because he can't hear that makes him easily frustrated.”

Understanding crept across Tony's face. “Oh, so that makes sense with the frustration part. But what about hearing aids? Will that cure it?”

Ziva put her head in her palm and shook her head. “Yeah, about that. I heard what you said back at the audiologist's office.” She looked back up with fire in her eyes. “Just because he's getting hearing aids does not mean that he will hear everything clearly, or perfectly.”

Tony was taken aback by Ziva's vehement response. “Whoa. I didn't mean to set you off.”

Ziva scoffed. “Well, if you hadn't been spending so much time down there, maybe you would have learned a thing or two.” She reached out and stroked Tony's cheek. “Ever since you walked out that room 5 months ago, I've had to take the load, take care of the house, while you were in that hole you created for yourself.” She raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “I can't do it all myself. I need you.”

“But-” Tony half-heartedly said. He sighed. He didn't speak for a moment. “I... hadn't realized.”

“Well, you're very fortunate. There were times where I've considered taking me and my mother back with me to Israel. And the kids would have been going with me.” She shot a look at Tony.

“Whoa, I didn't mean to hurt you. Or the kids.” Tony was taken aback by her blunt response.

Ziva grasped Tony's hands. “Look. We need to work on this. Together. No matter what, we're in this together.” Ziva lifted Tony's face until his eyesight matched hers. “Look at me. Have I left you?”

Tony got up and turned around to where he was standing in front of Ziva. “No. No, you haven't left.”

Ziva pulled Tony closer to her. “Because I have to be strong. For everybody.”

Tony sighed and allowed Ziva to pull him into her. “I... have not really met or known that many deaf people. That's what makes it hard.”

“That's why we have resources available to us. Rivka, Tali's friend, the audiologist.” Ziva placed a gentle kiss on Tony's lips. “I'll help you. It doesn't have to be that hard.”

Tony nodded. “I'm sorry for putting you through all this. I... didn't realize how hard I took the news.” Tony gave himself a headslap. “Shouldn't have jumped the gun and overreacted,” he muttered to himself.

Ziva chuckled. “Open your mind, Tony. Together, we will adapt.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah, I guess we will, like always.” Suddenly, he felt her hands creeping slowly across his hips, then down his legs. “Mmmm, that feels good. Love it when your hands glide over my legs like _that.”_ His voice rose a pitch as she reached a particularly sensitive spot on his leg.

Ziva chuckled. “I thought you would like that.” She massaged him, and felt the tension slowly ease from Tony, as she laid her head on his chest. “Just feels good to be with you, you know.” She raised her head and looked up at Tony.

Tony chuckled. “Ohh, yeah, don't stop. That feels good -” He was cut off by Ziva kissing him full on his mouth. He reached up and held her and kissed her passionately. They then got up in the cargo area where they had been sitting and talking, laid back, and made love to each other through the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos and Messages.


	3. When the Stars Aligned

Sometime in June, 2030

At the Kitty Hawk Beach front, Tony and Ziva were reclining in the beach chairs, while nearby the younger kids played in the sand. Tali and Amaya were sitting a short distance away on another set of beach chairs. Ziva turned to pour out a couple of glasses of iced tea from the pitcher they had brought with them in their cooler.

Tony looked up at Ziva, grasping his glass of iced tea. He grinned at Ziva. “Oh yeah, just in time. Nice to sit out here, under this umbrella looking out at the ocean.” He nodded his head out toward the ocean. “The wind helps, also.”

“Oh yeah, just perfect, this weather, for our mini-vacation.” Ziva nodded with a smile, held Tony's hand.

Tony smiled at Ziva, “Oh yeah.” He fell silent, watching the kids, watching the ocean waves crash onto the beach.

Ziva looked at Tony, stroking Tony's shoulder. “What are you thinking?”

Tony chuckled softly, moving his eyeballs to look at Ziva through his chromed sunglasses, while pretending to continue looking forward. He tilted his head to get a better view. He lowered his voice so that the kids wouldn't hear him. “I'm considering a getaway trip soon. Just us two.”

Ziva glanced over at Tony and chuckled gently. She knew that behind those sunglasses, Tony's eyes were fixated on her bosom. She tilted her head. “Where do you have in mind?”

“Jamaica.”

Ziva gasped and sat up straight. “Jamaica!? Really?” Her face broke out in a surprised smile. “That little island to the south of Florida?”

“Yep, St. John's Islands, Jamaica, you know. Tropical paradise.” Tony chuckled softly.

“Mmmm.... yeah. It's been, what, a year? Two? Since we have gone anywhere together alone.” Ziva smiled.

“Nothing yet in stone. Something to think about. Might have other ideas, you know.” Tony pointed his finger in air looking at Ziva with a smile.

Ziva nodded. “Still, something nice to think about.” She looked back down at the kids. They were making a sand castle.

Adam, AJ, Becky, Ethan was looking up at Tony and Ziva with a smile, waving then went back to their work.

Tali got up, walked to Ziva, “Ima, Amaya and I are thinking about taking a walk down the beach a ways.” Tali pointed in the general direction of where some of the beach attractions were.

“Alright, you girls have fun” Ziva smiled before giving Tali a hug.

Tony stepped in before Tali and Amaya took off, “you girls know the rules right?”

Tali and Amaya giggles and nodded at Tony before taking off.

Tony looked slightly pained at Ziva. “These girls... they like doing their own things. Gotta be the boys they're laying eyes on out there.”

Ziva looked at Tony and chuckled. “They will be fine. We're here if they need us. Let 'em be.”

Tony hugged Ziva gently by his side. “As long as she doesn't come back asking us if she could keep a boy she brought home because 'he followed me home'.”

Tony and Ziva laughed gently; they both knew that wouldn't happen, because Tali had already had a crush on Colton, Amaya's brother. They had their own secret concerns about this whole thing, however, with Colton being 20 and Tali 16.

Later that afternoon McGee and his kids had arrived to the beach house with some food. Tony warmed up the grill while Tim prepared the meats to be put on the grill. While the kids watched TV, Ziva made some sides to go with the meats. A breeze brought the fresh salt air through the windows of the beach house.

Ziva looked up, catching a quick glance at the children nearby, chuckling to herself as she saw the conversation happening between the children in both English and sign language. She then looked back at McGee, who was sitting near Tony at the kitchen table. “Are you doing alright so far?”

McGee sighed gently. The look on his face was as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders the moment he stepped through the doorway. “I am just glad I am here, having the twins here to play and have fun.” McGee raised his eyebrows, then raised his hands in the air and shrugged.

Ziva patted McGee's shoulder, “Oh, is Delilah still giving you a hard time?”

McGee looked at Ziva. “That's just it. She's been away a lot lately. Not exactly sure what's up with her lately. She's not been the same since she left DoD and started working for some lobbying firm.”

Tony looked at McGee. “Really? That's a bummer. She leaving you stuck with the Elflets more?”

McGee sighed. “Tell me about it. I thought being retired would make your life easier, but no. I'm still overworked and underpaid.”

Tony guffawed. “Parenting, paying you good? Only if you win the lottery.” He was joshing with McGee.

Ziva turned to Tony. But the look on her face had a bit of a smile behind it.

“I'm not exactly sure what to do yet. I'll have to give it some thought with regards to Delilah,” McGee said.

“We understand. Do what you gotta do.” Tony patted McGee on the shoulder. “For your own good, and the kids'.”

A short time later, Ziva put the dessert pans in the oven to bake while the main meal was being served. “Time to eat!” She called out when she saw that Tony was bringing in the meat.

The kids ran toward the table as the adults sat down. They pulled up to the table and served their food; the conversation flowed around the table, with snatches of sign language interspersed throughout the conversation. Sometime in the middle of the dinner, Ziva got up and got the brownies out to let cool for later.

Tony chuckled as he finished his meal, then got up from his chair. “Okay, McGee. Let's send our kids out to the beach and let 'em get all worn out.” He turned and walked down the stairs toward the beach, and McGee followed him.

Ziva looked at the now-empty table; the kids had left moments ago, out to have some fun on the beach. “You headed out to the beach also?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. Got Elf-Lord with me here.”

Ziva chuckled. “I'll finish cleaning up and then head out in a sec.”

“Sounds good.” Tony turned and walked off to the beach with McGee.

A minute later, Tali and Amaya noticed Tony and McGee standing off in the distance down the beach from where they were. They turned and walked toward Tony and McGee.

“Hey Dad.” Tony's head turned at the sound of Tali's voice when she caught up to the adults.

“Oh, hey Tali.” He smiled.

“Where is Ima?” Tali was scanning the area around her

Tony pointed his thumb back at the house, “She'll be out in a minute.”

Tali nodded. “Alright. Sounds good.” She smiled and looked at the other kids.

Tony nodded, “Yep, you kids all up for a walk in the waves?”

“Sure why not.” Tali smiled at her Dad, knowing her Dad likes to take kids on some fun adventures.

As the moon rose over the horizon, the children ran around on the beach, having a blast. Tony and McGee chuckled at the kids playing, and running around them in circles. They carried on a conversation as they walked along the beach.

Moments later, Ziva came out on the deck and scanned the beach, spotting her family in the distance, slowly making their way back toward the beach house. It was fortunate that the night was still young, the moonlight bright enough that she could see them. She recognized Ethan with his Spiderman swimming shorts. The figure standing next to Ethan wore a pair of Batman swimming trunks. Good, Adam's there with him, she thought to herself. Moments later, AJ stepped into view from behind Tony. He was wearing bright orange and blue shorts. Tony stood out like a sore thumb among the bunch, with his bright Hawaiian-patterned swimming trunks.

“Come get your dessert!” Ziva called out to her clan as she walked out toward the beach. Tony and McGee turned toward the sound of her voice; the kids were preoccupied with their fun running around in the sand around Tony and McGee.

“Alright, kids, ready for some brownies and ice cream coming up?” Tony scanned around and noticed Ethan kept running as the kids stopped in front of the beach house and went in. Tony raised his voice. “Ethan! Come here!” No response. Ethan kept running around in the sand.

Tali put her hand on her forehead and got up. “Oh Dad, let me go get him.” Tali ran after Ethan and brought him back.

Tony muttered to himself, wondering why Ethan had not been listening. He sighed.

McGee walked up to Tony. He slowly raised a pointed finger toward Tali kneeling down and talking to Ethan. He softly said, “Tony, look at them.”

“Yeah, I see 'em.” Tony looked back at McGee.

McGee raised an eyebrow. “No, look at them.” He pointed a little more urgently.

Tony turned around and looked more carefully. This time, he noticed Tali using her sign language to Ethan. He muttered to himself, “Oh great!” He realized that Ethan had not been able to hear him at all, for some reason he didn't know yet.

When Tali approached him, she had noticed that Ethan looked like he was about to cry. “What's wrong?” she asked in sign language.

Ethan looked up at her. “I can't hear.” He said, in spoken English, pointing to his ears and shaking his head.

Tali knelt to comfort Ethan, stroking his hair away from his forehead. She noticed how wet his hair was, then check his ears. She sighed to herself when she felt that the hearing aids had been drenched with water and had sand on them.

Tali's eyes flew open in absolute shock and surprise. “Ethan, did you know you are not supposed to wear them near water?”

Ethan's eyes brimmed over with tears as he whispered to Tali. “Daddy did not tell me take them off. I don't want him mad at me.” Ethan wrapped his arms around Tali's neck in a hug. Tali hugged him and picked him up into her arms and started walking toward to the house.

McGee noticed the look on Tali's face, then looked back at Tony. “Uh oh, the way things look, you might be in the doghouse again tonight.” McGee patted Tony's shoulder with a chuckle before walking away.

As the kids came up on the deck to sit down, Ziva served the dessert to them. As the kids and Tony and McGee filed up onto the deck, she noticed Tali holding Ethan's hand, walking toward Ziva. She saw the look on Tali's face.

“Something wrong, Tali?” Ziva asked.

“Ima, Ethan's a little upset. His hearing aids got wet. He didn't want to tell Daddy about them.”

Ziva looked at Ethan. “Why didn't you want to tell Daddy?”

Ethan looked up. “Because I didn't want him mad at me like before, no one told me to take 'em off.”

Ziva fumed internally at Tony. She looked down at Ethan with a soft smile on her face, kneeling down to Ethan. She signed to Ethan, “Ethan, it is ok, it is not your fault. One of us should have told you.”

Ethan nodded, wiped his tears away. “I don't like it when I can't hear.”

Ziva looked at Ethan. “I'll talk with your Dad. You want some dessert?” Ziva turned to Tali.

“Yes, sounds great, Ima.” Tali looked at Ziva with a soft smile. She then looked down at Ethan. Her hands flew as she formed the words in sign language. “Ethan, wanna ice cream and some brownies?” Tali smiled at Ethan, knowing how he loves brownies and ice cream.

Ethan perked up in joy, completely forgetting about the now not functioning hearing aids. “Yes!”

Ziva smiled at them as she served both of them brownies and ice cream.

As soon as Tony and McGee walked up on the deck, Ziva turned to McGee and asked, “Tim, can you help Tali and the kids while I have a conversation with Tony?”

McGee nodded. “Oh, sure. Not a problem.” McGee chuckled as he headed into the house to clean himself up.

“Let's walk.” Ziva stopped Tony, and they took a stroll away from the house. A soft breeze wafted through the night air as the moonlight shone down on the couple as they walked.

After a few hundred feet of walking, Tony broke the silence. “Well? What's on your mind?”

Ziva stopped walking and looked at Tony. “Fourth time, Tony.”

Tony gulped. “The hearing aids?”

Ziva nodded her head with a bit of anger behind it. “Yes. This will be the fourth time we've had to replace the hearing aids.” She sighed slightly, looking away at the ocean, the moonlight reflecting back into her face. “They're not cheap, you know. Remember what happened those times?”

“Those times?”

“Yes, those times. When the red ones got flushed by his twin brother. Then some family trip where it fell off.” She shook her head. “The last time on that beach in Florida. You forgot to tell him to take it off, remember?”

“Yeah, I felt bad for yelling at him when he got his hearing aids wet and I scolded him for it. Should have told him to take it off then.” Tony head slapped himself.

Ziva scoffed slightly. “He's worried that you'll get mad at him now. He thinks it's his fault that he can't hear, so please don't make it any worse for him.”

Tony sighed, hugged Ziva “I am really sorry, I just... how am I supposed to talk to him when he can't hear me?”

Ziva pushed back gently, looking at Tony. “It's not the kids' job to tell them whatever you want to say to Ethan. Tali's not going to be here much longer. That's on you, and you only, to put forth your best effort to communicate with him.”

Tony looked up at the moon, closed his eyes with a sigh, opened his eyes to look down at Ziva, “But what about you?”

“Of course, I do my part. Yes, it is a challenge, learning sign language, but not impossible. Some people learn it faster than others.” Ziva smiled. She knew that Tony was still very rusty with his signing. She wanted to encourage him to not give up with the signing, not to take the easy way out with relying on the other kids to pass the message to Ethan if he wasn't able to hear.

Tony looked at her. “Yeah, I guess you're right. Certainly been an interesting four years, right?”

“Tony, I'm sorry if I sound a little blunt, but it is for good reason. You can't always rely on others to help you out with Ethan. Talk with him, spend more time with him. Your signing might improve.” She smiled at him.

Tony let out a sigh and smiled slowly. “Yeah, I'll give it a try. Certainly is a challenge, this whole deafness thing.”

Ziva chuckled. “Rise up to the occasion and be the father I know you can be.”

Tony cocked his head toward the house, then reached out for Ziva's hand. “I think they are calling us. Should we head back before they send out a search party for us?”

Ziva smiled and tilted her head onto Tony's shoulder as they walked toward the house. “Yep. Look, I see all the kids standing at the deck watching us.” Ziva chuckled.

Tony looked up at the deck, smiling at the kids as he waved at them. They all ran out and encircled them as they came back onto the deck.

Soon after Tony and Ziva was having family prayers with the children, McGee and his twins had joined in along with them. The children were standing waiting their turn to say good night to Tony, Ziva, and McGee.

Becky was first to go to Tony and Ziva, “Good night Daddy, Ima, I love you both.” Becky gave each hug with a kiss on their cheek before she turned to McGee and the twins. “Good night Uncle Tim, good night John, good night Morgan.” Becky smiled as she went upstairs.

Tali said her goodnights next before following Becky up the stairs. AJ did the same. The McGee twins followed after saying goodnight to everyone.

As Adam and Ethan started going up to bed, Ziva called out, “Hold on a second.”

Adam stopped and grabbed Ethan's hand, stopping him in his tracks. He then turned toward Ziva. “Yes, Ima?”

“C'mere, sit on my lap.” Ziva beckoned to Ethan. “Adam, go sit with Daddy.”

Tony picked Adam up and sat him on the couch next to him, while Ethan sat on Ziva's lap.

They watched TV for a bit. Ziva took the occasional glance at Ethan and Adam. Eventually, they started a little conversation between themselves as Tony and Ziva watched the TV.

When she finally noticed them conversing with each other in sign language, Ziva looked at Tony and whispered at him. “Tony. Watch how it works.” Ziva waved at Ethan, catching his attention. She then signed to him. “Did you have fun today?”

Ethan nodded with a smile. “I like make castles and Daddy was funny flying all of us in the air.” Ethan giggles.

Adam giggled. He signed back. “Daddy can’t fly Tali, or Becky or AJ, but he can fly me and Ethan.” Adam grins, looking up at Ziva then patting Ethan to see him, “Ethan, we had fun flying right?”

Tony chuckled nervously; he had only understood part of the conversation.

Ethan made whooshing sound effects, pantomiming a set of wings flying through the air, giggling with Adam, as Ziva laughed. “ _Wow, whole conversations from just a few moves of the hand?_ ” he thought to himself.

“You see? Yes, Ethan can speak well just like Adam, but if he can't hear? Wave to get his attention, or tap him on the shoulder.” Ziva looked down at the twins, who were still talking with each other in sign language.

Tony nodded, “Each day is a challenge for me. You seem to pick it up better than I do. Look, when I flew the boys around in the ocean tonight, I realized I'm not the spring chicken anymore, being 59. _Life's short, gotta make the most out of your time with your kids,_ I was told.” He smiled at Ziva.

“Yes. Best for them, best for us.” Ziva looked around the room and noticed McGee sleeping on his recliner chair. She looked back down at Adam. “Adam, now it is time for bed, right?”

Adam nodded with smile, as he got off the couch to walk toward Ziva.

She looked at Ethan. She signed to him. “Bed?”

Ethan nodded. “Daddy tuck me in?”

Ziva signed to him. “Sure. Go with Daddy.” She pointed to Tony. Ethan nodded and walked to Tony.

Ziva stood up, smiling at Adam, reaching for his hand. As they walked towards the stairway to the bedrooms.

Ethan looked at Tony. “Daddy, I am sorry I can’t hear”

“Uhm.” Tony looked down the hallway. “Hon?”

Ziva held her hand up in the air. “Good luck. Talk with him.” She kept walking. He could hear a small chuckle from Ziva.

“Uhm.” He repeated to himself. He looked back at Ethan, thought for a moment, trying his best to remember the signs. “Ethan, it is not your fault that your hearing aids are not working. Our fault. We should have reminded you to take them off before we played near water. I am sorry and I love you very much.” Even though his signing was rusty, it was passable.

“But my hearing aids?”

Tony smiled softly. “We'll get you new ones, but we gotta be a little more careful now.”

“Can I get red, again?” Ethan smiled.

Tony chuckled. “Sure.”

Ethan smiled, reached out to hug Tony. “I love you Daddy, and can you fly me to bed please?”

Tony smiled at Ethan, then reached Ethan into his arms carefully to fly him up to the stairs to meet Adam and Ziva.

Ethan had the giggles as he made whooshing sound effects as Tony flew him through the air. All the kids came out in hallway with Ziva looking at how happy Ethan is as Tony carried him into the air, everyone had a good laugh, then had a gathering at the boys bedroom, saying their prayers before everyone went to bed.

~Tiva~

Around December 2030

As the sun peeked over the horizon on Christmas morning, Tony walked into the kitchen while Ziva was preparing some breakfast for the family while the children were sleeping.

  
“Good morning, SweetCheeks.” Tony walked up behind Ziva and kissed her neck gently as he slid his arms around her waist and hugged her. He then stood next to her, leaning on the counter.

“Good Morning, Tony” Ziva turned around and gave Tony a gentle kiss on his lips. She turned back to the cooking. “Just in time. Coffee's ready. I'll pour us a couple of cups.” Ziva smiled as she got two mugs from the mug holder.

Tony perked up as Ziva poured out two cups and slid Tony's across the table to him then sat by him. “My Ima called. She's making her famous Challah and some other things. She'll be here later with Gibbs.” Ziva tilted her head, smiling at Tony.

Tony raised his coffee mug in air. “Sounds good. Really love the way you all make the challah.” Tony smiled at Ziva, sipping his coffee.

Ziva chuckled. “They're the best freshly-made.” Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps above. She tilted her head toward the sound. “Sh! Tony, I think the kids are up. I hear footsteps.”

Tony nodded, then turned toward the hallway. At first he didn't see anything, but something made him look a little closer. He took a careful look, and suddenly, he noticed the shape of a small head peeking out from behind a corner. He whispered, “I think one of our kids are playing the _'I spy'_ game.” He chuckled quietly.

Ziva chuckled at him. “As a little girl, I would do that when my Ima and Abba were having a... discussion, they called them. I would just stand there and observe, until one of them eventually saw me.”

Tony chuckled. “No such luck with me.” He turned to the hallway. “Hey kiddo, I can see you!” He said in a sing-song voice, expecting a response but getting none.

Ziva laughed. “Ethan,” she said quietly to Tony.

“How'd you know?”

Ziva looked at Tony. “Because if he doesn't have his hearing aids on, that's the response you will get.”

“Ah.” Tony beckoned Ethan to come to them.

Ethan walked into the room, walking toward Ziva.

Ziva looked down, then up to Tony. “I was right. No hearing aids on.” She smiled. “Good morning,” she signed to Ethan.

Tony chuckled, patting the boy's head, then looked up as the other kids filed into the dining room. “Oh, looks like the rest of the kids are here.” He stepped over to the breakfast. “Let me finish up. You go ahead take care of the kids.”

Ziva smiled as she looked up at Tony. “Awesome.”

Ethan looked up at Ziva and stretched his arms out toward her. “Ima, can you hold me?”

“Sure.” Ziva took Ethan to the recliner in living room and sat down with him. She cradled him as she rocked her chair, rubbing his back. The other kids came into the living room and sat on the couch.

“Good morning,” Tali said.

“You sleep okay?” Ziva smiled at Tali.

Before Tali could answer, the other kids clamored about what they were wanting to get for Christmas, what they were expecting to see, about Santa coming with the gifts.

Ziva chuckled. She gently tapped Ethan's shoulder, getting his attention. When he looked up, she signed, “You excited for Christmas?”

Ethan nodded and piped up. “Yeah!”

Just then, Adam jumped up in Ziva's lap to be with Ethan. “Ima!” He was in a chipper mood.

“Oh, hi there, Adam! Good morning to you!” Ziva smiled at Adam. She then turned to the other kids. “Guess what. Your grandpa and Savta are coming over for the party today. Uncle Tim and his kids too, maybe.” Ziva looked down with a smile as she signed.

“Ima, do I need to wear my hearing aids?” Ethan asked, signing the words “hearing aids”.

Ziva smiled. “Of course you do.” She signed to Ethan. “Don't forget your batteries.”

“Oh, yeah. In the fridge, the batteries are there.” Ethan nodded.

“If you can't hear, let us know.” Ziva signed to Ethan. He nodded in reply.

Just then, Becky walked into the room from the kitchen. “Daddy said breakfast is ready.” She smiled and turned back to the kitchen.

“Wait up!” AJ ran after Becky.

The others followed into the dining room.

Later that morning, Rivka, Gibbs, and McGee came by with some food and gifts. Once the food had been put away in the kitchen for dinner later, everyone gathered together in the media room. All of the kids sat in the front row, while the adults sat behind them.

As everyone settled into their seats, Tony looked at everyone, memories of his father flooding into his mind as he held up a DVD. He still remembered the very last time his dad and he watched this movie together. “It's not Christmas without this.” He opened the case and plucked the DVD out and slid it into the DVD player.

“Why is that, Dad?” AJ spoke up. He was looking forward to opening the gifts.

“Well, it's our tradition to watch ' _It's A Wonderful Life_ ' before we open our presents.” Tony looked at the children. “It all started when I was a little boy.”

Becky said, “But we watched it last Christmas! And the one before that.”

Tali put her head in her hand. Ziva patted Tali on her back; she knew what Tali was thinking. She knew if Tony got started on this subject, he would keep going.

“Yes, and we will watch it every Christmas.” Tony smiled at Becky.

“Can we watch the movie already so we can open the presents?” Ziva said, slightly exasperated.

Tony smiled at everyone and pushed the Play button on the remote, then sat by Ziva.

As soon the credits started rolling at the end of the movie, the kids made a dash for the living room, looking forward to seeing what they got from Santa. Tony, Ziva, and McGee followed behind them. The kids sat in a semicircle around the tree, while Ziva and Tony sat near the tree and handed out gifts to the kids. Almost before they knew it, the living room floor was full of wrapping paper, toys, clothes, gift items as everyone opened their gifts and ooh'ed and aaah'ed over them.

After their traditional Christmas dinner, the kids went to play in their play room, while the adults retreated to the living room. They all took seats in the living room, in a semi-circle.

McGee let out a sigh as he reclined in the recliner. Tony looked at McGee, sensing something not right with McGee. He patted McGee's shoulder. “Hey bro, what's your mind? I can hear you thinking.” Tony ribbed McGee.

McGee let out a short chuckle. He knew Tony was just trying to cheer him up. “Yeah well.”

Before McGee could say anything further, Ziva and Rivka came into the living room.

“Sorry about that, we had to clean up after dinner.” Ziva said breathlessly as she sat down. The faint sounds of dishes being washed drifted to their ears from the kitchen as Tali and Becky did dishes together.

“Oh, not a problem.” Tony smiled. “Look at McThoughtful over here.”

Ziva chuckled.

McGee raised an eyebrow. “So anyways, you guys know how things have been between me and Delilah these past few weeks, even months? Well, we finally talked.”

“Oh, did it go well?” Tony cocked an eyebrow in the air. “Somehow I get the feeling things didn't.”

McGee sighed, and gave Ziva a look that told her everything.

“Oohh, that doesn't sound good.” Ziva replied, raising her eyebrow.

McGee didn't speak, instead gesturing with his hands separating from each other. He shook his head slightly.

“What!? After these years of hard work and love you have done for her” Tony replied with a puzzled look on his face.

Ziva looked at Tony then McGee, “How? How long?”

McGee raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “No idea. Figured I'd try taking her out to eat, have a little talk with her. Delilah was being a … well, she told me she wanted a divorce.”

“Wow.” Ziva was speechless; she knew that McGee was trying to make a go of it with Delilah and had hoped for the best for him.

McGee nodded, sighed in a relief from venting, “When she retired from DoD, she joined this lobbyist firm. I think I told you about it a little before.”

Tony and Ziva nodded. Rivka spoke up. “Oh, along the Beltway in DC?”

McGee nodded.

Rivka groaned and put her head in her hand. “A snake pit there, I tell you.” She would know, because her husband was in the thick of it when he was still alive.

Gibbs chuckled. “Stay away from that area every chance I get.”

McGee chuckled. “Anyway, she met with some high-powered lobbyists. When that happened I tried to warn her, but she didn't want to believe that working for a lobbying firm could turn out to be a family destroying entity.”

Tony patted McGee's shoulder, “I am sorry to hear and like I told you before, we have your back.”

“We are here for you, hang in there and you do what you need to do, do what is right” Ziva spoke to McGee, smiles gently.

McGee nodded, “Thank you, I know you guys got my back. I appreciate it very much.”

“Sure, not a problem.” Ziva nodded.

“Stay strong, and we're with you all the way,” Tony added.

McGee looked at his watch. “Oh, shoot! I almost forgot. Delilah wanted to have the kids visit her before the night's done.”

Gibbs looked at his watch. “Time for me to hit the hay too. I imagine the same for you too, Rivka?”

Rivka nodded. “I'm beat. Let me say goodbye to the grandkids first.” She smiled.

Tony chuckled. Before he could answer, however, Tali walked into the living room. “Dishes are done.”

“Oh, great, could you call Johnny and Morgan and tell them to get ready to go?” Ziva said to Tali.

“Okay, I'll do that.” Tali smiled and turned to get the McGee twins.

Everyone got up, and as the kids streamed into the living room, said their good-nights to each other, and then they left for the night, leaving Ziva, Tony, and their kids alone for the night.

After everyone had left for the night, Ziva and Tony collected the kids and tucked them in for the night, after saying their family prayers and singing the bird song together.

~~Tiva~~

On February 2031, Tony and Ziva had taken a flight out to Jamaica for a weekend getaway, while Rivka spent that weekend with the children. They had taken the trip with the full confidence that the children were in good hands with Rivka, and that Gibbs and McGee would step in and help when needed.

After they had spent most of the weekend sightseeing, hitting the beaches, and hitting the stores for some vacation shopping, they returned to the hotel that they were staying at. They headed up to their room, and dropped off their shopping and changed into robes. Once they changed, they went out to the balcony and sat in the chairs, looking out at the sky.

“Wow, what a good day, wasn't it?” Tony said to Ziva.

Ziva chuckled. “Yes. Very wonderful day today. This trip was much needed.”

Tony nodded and smiled. He sighed and took in the evening sky, thinking. He turned to Ziva. “Want a little bite to eat?”

As Ziva looked out over the ocean, she smiled. “Surprise me.”

Tony chuckled, then got out of his lounge chair and went back into the room to call for room service to bring dinner up. He then got a small table and brought it out to the balcony. “Got room service coming in a few,” he said as he sat down on his lounge chair.

“Tony, this is so beautiful. I've always wanted to come to Jamaica. And now that we are here, this view, it's just breathtaking.” Ziva looked intently into Tony's eyes, reading his soul behind his eyes.

“What better way to enjoy the evening than on a perfect night, with a nice view of the ocean?” Tony reached out and held her hand.

Moments later, the doorbell rang. “Room service!” Tony heard the hotel waiter call out through the door. He got up and got the food that the waiter brought to them. He set it on the table in front of them out on the balcony, and served Ziva's and his plate.

“Ooh, a nice steak dinner. Looks delish. Not as delish as you, though.” Ziva chuckled softly as her eyes sparkled. She took in Tony's face, smiling.

Tony smiled, reached out Ziva's hand, “I planned this trip out for us back in Christmas. Wanted to surprise you, and I was able to get killer deals on the plane tickets.”

“Ahh.” Ziva's eyes brightened. “So that's why you had the tickets for us for Christmas.”

“Your Ima and Tali were all for it, as well. You deserve something good.” Tony smiled and stroked her cheek, then took a bite of his meal.

Ziva smiled, tilted her head, putting her hand on Tony's. “I love you so much. This is just perfect, a nice getaway for us both so we could recharge ourselves.” Ziva leaned over and kissed Tony passionately. Then she sat back and started eating her meal.

After Tony and Ziva finished their meal, Tony gathered up the plates on the cart that they used for room service, and pushed it towards the door. He then grabbed the remote for the stereo, put a CD in, and hit play. As the first strains of music came on, he said, “Recognize this?”

Ziva closed her eyes and listened to the music for a few moments. “Oh, yes, from Berlin.” She winced, trying to remember the name, snapping her finger, but couldn't remember. “It's on the tip of my tongue, but I don't remember the name.”

Tony chuckled. “Remember, we danced to this music, on our mission in Berlin. _'I'm Glad There Is You._ '” He looked at the CD case. “Jane Monheit, that's the singer.”

Ziva gasped gently, listening to the music, then looked up to Tony. “Yes, I remember. We had to pretend we were married, and so we danced to it.”

“Indeed, I found the song while doing some cleaning a couple months ago. Thought, why not bring it, so I brought it. I'd like to ask you for your hand again.” Tony smiled and held out his hand for Ziva.

Ziva smiled gently, grabbed Tony's hand as they stood up, went to the middle of the room, as they held to each other, dancing to the music.

“Now, we dance as a married couple. It feels more real this way now.” Tony chuckled as he continued dancing with Ziva.

“I'll cherish this forever. Thank you, my love.” Ziva smiled, tilted her head as she rested on Tony's chest as Tony held her closer. “This was much needed.” She drew him closer to her.

“I thought you would like that, it is only thing I wanted to do with you, and I love you, my sweetcheeks” Tony looked down at Ziva, as she looked up to Tony, then they placed a full on kiss as they danced around to the soft music.

After the music faded out, Tony and Ziva looked at each other, holding hands. They then walked back out to the balcony to sit on the loungers in the balcony. They sat together on one lounger, holding each other, holding their hands, enjoying the night breeze, the salty smell of the ocean air wafting into the hotel.

Moments later, as Ziva was caressing Tony's hands and arms, her fingers ran over a scar on Tony's arm. She became very thoughtful, as the memories from a time past started flooding into her head.

“Ow!” Ziva had not realized she had started rubbing the scar a little too hard. Tony winced a little.

“Sorry.” She fell silent, then started rubbing the scars on her own hands and wrists.

Tony looked at Ziva. “Are you alright?” He gently took one of Ziva's hands and held it.

Ziva sighed. The smells, the memory of that dark, dank room, the sensations of burning pain as the captor beat her back with ropes all came back to her, and tears started flowing. “I wish I could forget all this...” The Somali mission had affected her more than she had realized, even after all these years.

Tony held Ziva closer to him by side, looking at her, “Ziva, these scars will always be with us. Yes, bad things did happen, I struggled with that truth serum, but the one thing that did not happen? I did not give up looking for you.” Tony shook his head. “That thought never even entered my head. I would have gone to hell and back to find you.” He reached out and held both Ziva's hands.

Ziva looked up at Tony, “By the time you found me, I was ready to die. I did not think you would find me, after those beatings and being repeatedly -”

Ziva stopped as Tony put a finger on her lips, “Sshh. I know. I'm sorry that that happened. But, the important thing is I'm here for you.” Tony sighed, then continued. “Look, if you didn't make it... we wouldn't have the beautiful family we have now.”

Ziva let out a short chuckle. “Yes. But these memories are lifelong.”

Tony embraced her in a hug. “But our love for each other is stronger, right?”

Ziva nodded. “McGee also. The three of us, in that awful place.” She shuddered.

Tony nodded. “Yeah, McGee. He was lying there, and as I watched him, he whispered to me that he got worked over, like us. I swore right then and there that if anything happened to you or McGee, I'd destroy them all.” He chuckled. “What good that would do me if I was tied up, though.”

Ziva chuckled at the last line. “Seeing that guy's head blow up was a big relief for me, I'll say that much. No more beatings.”

Tony nodded and chuckled. “Nothing like Gibbs saving the day at the right moment when I told that stiff he had about thirty seconds to live.”

Ziva smiled softly, “If any one of us did not come out of there alive, there would be no beautiful family, no marriage, no kids. But I do know one thing, no matter what happened to us, we're still soulmates, right?” Ziva took a deep breath, realizing that Tony could sense her anxiety brewing just beneath the surface.

Tony took a deep breath, looked at Ziva, “Yes, yes, that's correct. I don't know where I'd be if you weren't around. Just wished I got there a little sooner, is all.”

Ziva spoke up, “Oh Tony, it's not your fault. That guy really made it difficult for you to locate. Good thing you tracked him through his Caf-POW addiction.”

Tony nodded, sighed for a moment and held Ziva's hand. “I have not forgotten what you had told me about it back years ago. These scars? We're bonded together in more ways than one.” He smiled. “Together, we grow stronger. Divided, we fall apart.”

Ziva smiled. “Focus on the bright side from now on, right?” She was thinking of her family, the one thing that always brought a smile to her face. Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky.

Tony gasped. “A shooting star!”

Ziva smiled softly, “Yes, the stars must have aligned perfectly that day when we found each other. I think we are meant to be together, to be soulmates for eternity.”

Tony nodded with a smile, “Oh yeah. I think they're still aligned up there. Look up there.” He smiled and pointed to the sky in the region of the Big Dipper.

Ziva smiled gently, looking up at where the big dipper is, and had a sigh of relief, giggling softly, “Oh yes, our stars are aligned perfectly. That big dipper's keeping 'em in line.” Ziva turned to look at Tony. “I love looking at the stars. Every night, when I was on the run, I always looked up at the stars. I thought a lot of you and Tali. It kept me going.” Ziva smiled, kissed Tony gently on his cheek, tilted her head on his shoulder.

Tony tilted his head on top of Ziva's head, as he held Ziva's hand close to his chest where his heart is, “Happy Valentines, and I love you my Babe, Ziva”

“Happy Valentine and I love you too my Tony” Ziva smiled as they both look at the big dipper showing in night sky.

After spending a while cuddling with each other and stargazing, Tony and Ziva decided to go back into the room, and as they approached the bed, took off their robes, and climbed into the bed, in the nude. As they lay in bed next to each other, Tony could not stop looking at Ziva's beauty on her face and body, as he caressed her.

Ziva smiled, looking at Tony. “What are you thinking at this moment?”

Tony held Ziva's hands, “Just looking at you, how beautiful you are. It does make me feel so alive.” He growled at her playfully. “My sexy Ziva.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Ziva chuckled gently. “What attracts me is your heart and soul. Your eyes and body aren't that bad either.” Ziva moved closer to Tony. “Oh, is that your 'knee' I'm feeling?” Ziva giggled as she reached around Tony's neck, kissing him full on, then Tony pulled her closer to him, as he kissed him back.

Ziva rolled over to sit on Tony, as Tony laid on his back while he ogled over how beautiful Ziva's naked body was, her breasts standing out very large. “We'll see what you actually found.” Tony gasped as she mounted him.

Ziva giggled softly, putting her hair back in a bun, then slowly made passionate love to Tony, kissing him full on, embracing each other, exploring the depths of their love for each other. Eventually, they finished and lay next to each other, continuing their cuddling, in the spoon position.

“Good night, my love” Tony muttered, as he put his arm around Ziva, holding her close to him.

“Good night, I love you Tony” Ziva took deep breath as she closed her eyes, smiles.

“I love you, Ziva” Tony smiled as he closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos and Messages.


	4. Life, the Hard Way

**A/N: This story took some careful consideration as to how to write this. Be forewarned that there will be some sensitive content in this chapter that may be triggering to some. Hang in there – it does get better at the end!**

Around June 2032

As she sat on her lounge out on the deck, Ziva took in a deep cleansing breath as she went through her meditation routines to try to moderate her anxiety that she had been struggling with for a long time, especially since Tali graduated from high school. The cool pre-dawn breeze wafted through Tony's shirt that she was wearing, and lapped across her crossed legs. On top of that, Tali seemed to have a boyfriend she didn't really care for because of how he had been toward her lately. He had been acting more... possessive... toward Tali, steering her away from her circle of friends towards his, possibly out of jealousy for her popularity. With Tali's 18th birthday party just around the corner, happening just hours from now, she had been looking forward to a good day with her, and didn't need this added stress from Colton. She smiled internally, proud of what Tali had achieved for herself, graduating with high honors, keeping up a straight-A record all her years in high school.

As Ziva closed her eyes in meditation, the first rays of sun crept down her face, warming her. She flipped her sunglasses on to keep the rays of sun out of her eyes. As she did so, she heard the sound of the sliding door opening and Tony stepping out onto the deck, and she started slightly and let out a slight gasp. She turned around and looked up at Tony, smiling gently as Tony stroked her cheek and kissed her on her lips.

He then sat down by her with his sunglasses on, offering her some coffee, smiling. “Good morning, my love”

'Good morning, My Tony.”

Tony cocked his head at her. “You know, I could hear you thinking all the way from the bedroom, so thought I come here to check to see if you are alright.” He took a sip of his coffee and grinned at her.

Ziva nodded. “Needed to meditate for a bit, while the kids slept.” She sighed and said nothing for a few moments. Before Tony could reply, she said, “It's Tali. More specifically, the group of people she's been seeing lately.” She had a gnawing feeling inside her, something nagging at her, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She shook her head slightly. “Colton. He always brings that Caf-POW drink, I can't stand the smell of it.”

Tony nodded. “I know, I hate the smell also.” Tony stroked her hair some more and cuddled with Ziva.

“I wonder what has gotten into him, anyways. It's not like the Colton we know,” Ziva sighed. “Tali's known Amaya and her family since before high school. Colton's always been quiet but sweet until now.”

Tony said, “Gary's always kept an even keel with his kids. Of course, Gibbs would know, he and Gary worked together for a minute there. Heck, they're Marine buddies.”

Ziva chuckled at the memory of Gary. “Sure meant business when he needed it. Always a good man nonetheless.”

“So, where are you on the anxiety?” Tony asked softly.

Ziva shook her head and sighed. “I'm not too impressed with how Colton's been handling himself around Tali, and how he's been treating her.”

Tony grimaced slightly. “Yeah, well, the one thing I've noticed with him, is he's acting like a play-ah.” Tony drew out the ending.

Ziva muttered a Hebrew curse. “A player, eh? How so?”

Tony chuckled. “See, somehow I knew you'd say that. The way he's undressing Tali with his eyes, the way he's always on his phone texting to someone who he won't tell Tali who it is.”

Ziva looked slightly outraged. “What?! He doesn't look like a player, but his behavior smells like fish.”

Tony nearly choked on his coffee he had been sipping. “His behavior's fishy, you mean.”

“Whatever.” Ziva still was slightly miffed with the whole thing. “I just hope he doesn't cause a scene at the party here.”

“Yeah, me too.” Tony changed the subject. “What'd you think of Tali's graduation party?”

Ziva chuckled. “It looked like a lot of fun.”

Tony smiled. “I thought the best part was her getting high honors – the only one out of her class!” He beamed.

Ziva smiled. “Amazing. I think we did good with Tali, considering how things were in the beginning.” Ziva nodded once, then tilted her head onto Tony's shoulder. “I sure am gonna miss Tali when she moves on. I'm actually a little afraid for our baby.” Ziva sniffled as she tried not to let her tears show to Tony.

Tony stroked Ziva's cheek, wiping her tears away. “I know the feeling. We'll go through this together and we'll just be there for Tali when she needs us. It'll be alright.” Tony smiled gently, holding Ziva's hand.

Ziva nodded as she breathed out a sigh of relief, as she thought to herself, _I'm glad he's here._

Tony held Ziva's hand, looking up at Ziva. “At lo levad.”

Ziva smiled, then she bent over to plant Tony a kiss on his lip, “I know.”

Later in the day, Tony and the boys went out to clean the backyard and set up the tent and chairs for Tali's birthday party later that evening. Becky and Tali were helping Ziva to prepare the food, Rivka and Gibbs had come early with things they brought with them. McGee and John came eventually along, followed by some of Tali's friends, among them Amaya.

As McGee walked toward Tony, he overheard Tali talking with Amaya. “Gosh, what's with Colton, anyway? He's being a jerk lately.” He paused.

Amaya sighed. “I have no idea, he's been full of himself. I can't stand him anymore.”

“I've been trying to figure him out.” Tali shrugged her shoulders, then turned around and walked toward the deck.

Just then, Colton appeared behind Tali. “What're you doing, talking with my sister?”

Tali gasped. “She's my friend, gosh, Colton.”

Colton slurped some of his Caf-POW. “Maybe my friends are better than your friends. You should hang with us later tonight. Got a surprise for you.”

McGee raised an eyebrow at this latest exchange. The tone in Colton's voice raised red flags in him. He slowly edged toward Tony, who was preparing the grill and the meats. “Tony,” he whispered. “Tony!” He whispered a little louder.

“Hm?” Tony looked up at McGee, who was pointing covertly to Colton and Tali. Tony followed McGee's finger to them, then he locked eyes with Colton and glared. _Behave, I'm watching you_ , his steely glare said toward Colton. He raised two fingers and pointed them toward his eyes, then to Colton. He could see Colton visibly gulp as he made a hasty exit toward the backyard, leaving Tali with Amaya.

“I thought so.” Tony muttered to himself as he went back to preparing the meats for grilling. He raised his voice slightly. “Keep an eye on him, Elflord.”

McGee chuckled slightly and gave Tony a slight nod. “You got it, boss.” He slowly drifted over to where Colton was mingling with the other kids. Somehow, he was able to position himself where he could glance at Colton as he pulled out his phone every so often to fire off some text messages. Intrigued by his slightly cocky behavior, his furtive glances at his phone screen, he decided to see if he could see what was on the screen. He had an idea. He pulled out his own phone and angled it toward Colton, without his noticing, and zoomed in on the screen and snapped a series of pictures. What he saw on the screen caused him to raise his eyebrows. He put his phone back in his pocket and slowly made his way back to Tony.

“Yup, these burgers are about done. A little longer on the steaks.” Tony looked up at McGee.

McGee patted Tony's shoulder. “Looks good.” He lowered his voice. “Two o-clock.” Tony looked up to his right, fixing Colton's position in his line of sight.

“Uh-huh. Acting like a dirtbag on his phone. Look at how smug he looks.” Already, Tony was turned off with Colton's attitude toward others.

McGee pulled out his phone. “Check this out.” Before he could show Tony, Ziva walked up.

“Check what out?” Ziva looked at McGee, who looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. “Oh, did I startle you?”

“Don't sneak up on me like that,” McGee said, feigning a heart attack.

Tony chuckled. “Out with it, Elflord. Pics or it didn't happen.”

McGee opened the pictures on the phone. What Tony and Ziva saw caused them to gasp in shock. The names were other women he had been texting. “This one says something about a party for Tali, but I'm not sure if he means this one or another one he's wanting to host.”

Ziva gasped, indignant. “That's wrong of him.” Ziva started toward Colton.

Tony held out his arm, stopping Ziva. He gritted his teeth. “Nuh-uh. Not happening on my watch. I'll take care of it.” He strode off toward Colton, walking up behind him. By then Colton had found a seat and was texting non-stop. Tony gave Colton a solid head-slap that sent his ball cap flying.

Colton dropped his phone, and as he stood up he accidentally kicked his Caf-POW cup over sending its content spilling out.

“Do you need to have that phone surgically removed from your hands? You seem to be spending an awful lot of eye time with the phone instead of Tali. You married to the phone?” Tony walked around in front of Colton, who was still spluttering.

“No, sir, they're just friends from school.” Colton chuckled nervously. He bent over to pick his phone up and his now-empty Caf-POW cup.

Ziva had watched the whole exchange; now she walked up to them. “Everything okay here?”

Tony looked up at Ziva, then scratched his eyebrow, and winced slightly. “Our young man here spilled his drink.”

Ziva had seen the code he gave her. She looked at the puddle of Caf-POW on the yard, and at his empty cup. “You're cleaning that up. I don't want it anywhere on my property.” Ziva nodded and smiled softly, then turned around and walked back to the deck, noticing Tali on the steps. She paused to look at Tali, then walked past her. She stopped for a moment close to Tony and almost retched; the smell of the Caf-POW was enough to cause her stomach to turn.

Tony looked at Ziva, then looked back at Colton and chuckled. He watched as Colton stooped down and started scrambling to clean the mess up off the yard. “You don't want her coming after you with paper clips, now,” Tony called out to him.

Ziva had passed Tony by then; she smirked. “Make sure he does a good job cleaning it up.” She made sure she said it loud enough for Colton to hear.

Tali sighed and shook her head at Colton. He had made a fool of himself in front of Tali and her family. _How embarrassing,_ she thought to herself. _On my birthday, no less!_

“Inside! Now!” Ziva turned around and walked into the house, the door closing behind her.

Tali sighed, then got up and walked into the house after Ziva.

Ziva turned around as Tali walked into the kitchen. “What's up with Colton and your friends? I thought we were having a family-only party.”

Tali groaned slightly. “Yes, Ima, I told them after the party, but Colton insisted that they come as well.”

Just then, Tony walked in. “What's up?” He looked at Tali and Ziva.

Ziva said, “I thought I would have loved to have just us – family – here at the party.” Her anxiety was starting to build up, and she started to subconsciously rub one of her scars, and Tony noticed it in his peripheral vision.

Tali shrugged. “That's what I told him. He doesn't seem to take no for an answer.” She shrugged again.

Something about Tali's voice caused Ziva to listen more closely. She had noticed the change in Colton's behavior also, and it had made her feel uneasy. “After the party, you can go with Amaya.” She turned to Tony. “Get him out of here, please.”

“Righty-o.” He turned around and started to walk outside.

Tali spoke up, interrupting Tony. “Can I go say goodbye to Amaya for until later?”

Tony stopped and looked at Amaya. After a moment, he broke out in a smile. “Sure, why not. You'll see her later on tonight, maybe.”

Tali smiled and rushed outside off to meet up with her friends. Tony followed her outside. Once outside, he caught McGee's eyes. “G-I-B-B-S”, he finger-spelled.

McGee nodded, and the two of them meandered over to Gibbs.

Gibbs must have sensed their approaching, for he turned to them. “Problem?”

“Don't miss a beat, do you?” Tony chuckled.

Gibbs chuckled back at Tony. “Nope. Our tango?” He nodded towards Colton.

Tony looked at Colton. “Acting like he owns the place. Egotistical little prick.”

McGee raised his eyebrow. “You just noticed this now?”

Tony scoffed and gently backhanded McGee on the arm. “I wasn't born yesterday, you know.” He chuckled. “Let's show him who's really the man of the house.” He walked over to Colton, with Gibbs and McGee in tow. He passed the spot where he had spilled his drink earlier, noticing the somewhat shoddy cleanup job.

“I don't think that's gonna pass muster,” McGee quietly said.

Tony shook his head. “Nope.” He reached Colton and clapped his hand on his shoulder, startling him. “Go back there and clean it up some more. You left a few beans and some napkins there.” He steered Colton back to his mess.

“And what if I don't?” Colton fired back.

Tony just squeezed in a particular area of Colton's shoulder, causing him to nearly double over, yelping as the pain knifed through his shoulder up into his brain.

“Ow! Leggo my shoulder!” Colton let out an almost animal-like squeal as he grimaced in pain.

Tony leaned closer to Colton. “This is my house. If I were you, I'd mind your manners, and do as I say. Go. Back. There. And clean it up.” He released his grip, allowing Colton to collapse onto his knees, holding his shoulder.

McGee winced. “Oohh, the Vulcan nerve pinch.”

Gibbs chuckled.

Colton groaned as he slowly got up, massaging his shoulder. It hurt like a mean son of a gun. He hobbled back to where his mess was and started cleaning it up better. Tali and her group of friends stood by and watched with their mouths agape at the whole exchange, transfixed by the sudden change in Colton's demeanor, going from cocky overbearing bully to crybaby in about ten seconds flat. Amaya muttered, “Whoa.”

Tali kept watching. “Yeah, that's my dad for you.”

Tony turned to them. “Show's over. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave.” He directed the last to the friends.

Colton looked up. “But I already told Tali we got a party tonight -”

Tony cut him off. “I know. I'll have Tali text you. _After_ this party.”

Colton turned in a huff. “Fine, whatever, I'll come by and pick her up later.” He turned around to storm off, coming face to face with Tali, who was standing a few feet away from him.

Tony glared at Colton.

Colton saw the glare out of the corner of his eyes, then he said, “I-I'll text you later.” He gulped visibly, and then tore off out the gate, leaving the other friends standing puzzled.

“Gosh, what's with him these days?” Amaya scoffed at her brother's back as he scurried off. She shrugged and turned to Tony. “I'm sorry about that. I have no idea what has gotten into him lately. He's not been acting his usual self.”

Tony raised his eyebrow. “Really now?”

“I guess he's under a lot of stress and it's coming out in funny ways. Not in a good way, I mean.” Amaya sighed. She thought for a moment, then said, “Something to do with joining the military, I think.”

Tali heard this, and said to herself, “What? He never said anything about the military...” She trailed off, then started walking back to the house.

After the family had eaten their fill of the birthday dinner, they cleared the table as Ziva and Tony brought out the birthday cake, with eighteen candles lit. An uproar rose from the crowd as the cake came out, and Tali smiled and watched as the cake came out.

“Happy birthday, Tali!” Eight-year-old Adam piped up.

As Tony and Ziva gently set the cake down on the table, everybody broke out in song, singing the happy birthday song.

Tali smiled as everybody sang along.

“Hey, don't forget the video!” Tony glanced at McGee.

“Ahead of you by a mile.” McGee chuckled. He was filming with his DSLR mounted on a fancy stabilizer rig.

“Eighteen years old. I can't believe it's already been that long,” Ziva laughed.

Rivka laughed with Ziva. “Time sure flies, doesn't it?” She patted Ziva's arm. “The joy that keeps on giving, being a parent.”

Gibbs chuckled. “You done good, Ziver.”

“Bec'! Look at the cake and the candles. Aren't they pretty?” Twelve-year-old AJ stood by Becky.

Becky stood transfixed at the sight of the cake. Her eleven-year-old mind was trying to figure out what she would probably be like at eighteen. “That's a cool and beautiful cake they did.”

Tony chuckled. He whispered to Ziva. “At least it's not a wedding cake. Imagine the size of that thing.”

Ziva chuckled back to Tony. She looked down at Ethan and Adam, who were talking with each other.

Adam tapped Ethan on his shoulder. “Wanna play games with John?”

Ethan's face lit up. “After cake, sure!” He signed back to Adam. He added with his voice, “This new baseball game came out a couple weeks ago, new season, new team lineups, everything. Better game-play, too, they say.”

John said, “Yeah, I brought it with me too. Playstation VR, right?”

AJ said “Yup. We also got an X-box, one of the older ones, but the other night it red ring of death-ed on us.”

John winced. “OH, not good. Three red ring of death or four?”

“Four.” AJ replied.

McGee said. “Ouch. Four reds, might as well get a new X-box. It's toast.”

AJ nodded. “We kinda like the Playstation VR better anyways. Can't wait for the new PS-XVR to come out, much more immersive game play.”

Tony fwapped McGee's ear. “See what I'm talking about? Now we got a whole passel of Elflord wannabes on our hands. Talking about gaming.”

McGee winced from the sting on his earlobe. “Hey, don't blame me.” He chuckled.

Ziva laughed. “Look at who's talking, Mr. Elflord. Gaming while the kids were growing up.” She turned to Tali. “Ready to blow out the candles? Make a wish!” She smiled.

Tali smiled, then took a moment to think of a wish for her birthday, then took a deep breath and blew out all her candles in one solid blow. Everybody cheered.

Gibbs and Rivka chuckled at the trio as Tony and Ziva cut up the cake to serve to the family members.

After everyone had eaten the birthday cakes and the adults had engaged in conversation while the boys had gone off to the media room to play VR games; Becky had started drawing some of her artwork while watching the boys play. Tali had gone upstairs to freshen up and get ready for the evening.

“What a day, right?” Tony sighed and smiled.

“It's not over, yet.” Ziva smiled, but her smile was somewhat forced. Her anxiety was starting to rise again, and she tried her best not to start rubbing that scar on her wrist.

McGee shifted in his recliner slightly. “Yeah, well, I'd trust Colton about as far as I could toss a house these days, the way he's been acting.”

“That's just it. Something feels off about him.” Ziva shook her head.

Tony grimaced ever so slightly. “Oh, you mean like the sense that he's acting like he owns the world, and talks like he could get away with murder? Yeah, I've noticed that about him also.” His face changed. “But why now?”

Gibbs shrugged. “Something's up. Not like him, that I can remember.”

Ziva held up a raised finger. “I've noticed how Tali wants to see her friends, but has to go with Colton and his friends to please him.” She let out a sigh. “Scared to say no?”

Rivka shook her head. “The moment I saw him, I had a weird feeling about him. He seemed very... controlling.”

Just then, they saw the headlights of a car pull up in the driveway, and heard Tali coming down the stairs. Tony said, “Yeah. Had to make him clean up his mess better before he left.” He raised his eyes to Tali. “There you are.” He smiled and got up out of his recliner and walked to Tali.

Tali smiled. “All set.” She picked up her backpack and cellphone. “I'll keep in touch with you.”

The sound of a car horn came through the door. Tony shook his head slightly. “A little patience here?” He muttered toward the door.

Ziva got up and hugged Tali. “You be careful, now, you hear?” She stood back and smiled at Tali. But inside, she was not smiling. Her emotions were roiling beneath her surface, but she did a masterful job of hiding it from Tali.

Tali smiled back. “I will, Ima.”

McGee spoke up. “Hey, happy birthday again, Tali. Have a good time.”

Tali smiled. “I will, Uncle Tim.” She started walking out the door.

“Hey Tali, Happy birthday my Tali, be good and call me later” Ziva said as Tali stepped out the doorway.

Tali looked back at Ziva and smiled, waving the ILY sign hand at her as she spoke. “I love you Ima. I'll call you later. See ya.” Tali walked out the door.

Tony followed after Tali. As he approached the car with Tali, he looked into the car, and saw that Colton was on his phone texting someone. He and Tali reached the car where Tony opened the door for Tali. _Dude needs to grow up and be a man,_ he thought to himself.

“There you are.” Colton looked up. He had a slight scowl on his face.

Tali looked at Colton, then back at Tony. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You stay safe, you hear? Remember what we talked about before, not all boys are nice,” Tony whispered to Tali as he hugged her.

Tali nodded as she returned his hug. “Yes, Dad, I know. I'll be fine.” Tali smiled as she closed the door.

Tony leaned over and glared at Colton through the window. Somehow he had procured a paperclip and was holding it in his hand. He held it up where Colton could see it. Tali had not noticed this because she was fastening her seatbelt. Tony made the I'm-watching-you hand gesture to Colton, causing Colton to gulp visibly.

Tony stood up and watched as Colton drove away.

“Ready for some more fun?” Amaya's voice called out from the back seat. Tali turned to Amaya and smiled.

“Where are we headed?” Tali asked.

“Oh, we're headed to the beach to meet up with some other friends.” Colton glanced back at Tali, then turned back to watch the road.

“Oh, okay.” Tali said nothing further. It was only a short drive away, and thus no further conversation took place until they arrived at the beach. They let the radio play some of the Top 40 hits as Colton drove down the road to the beach.

Sometime later as the party got going, more and more people started showing up. Tali was having a good time with Amaya and her other friends talking. She noticed Colton with the new group of people, bringing stuff out from their vehicles. She briefly wondered what they were, then put it out of her mind as she got distracted with further conversation from her friends.

“Hold on, I'll be back,” Tali said to Amaya, then walked up to Colton, who was sitting down and texting on his phone by then. “Who're you talking to?”

Colton looked up at Tali and smiled. “Oh, some friends that couldn't come. They said happy birthday. You look good.”

Tali chuckled slightly nervously as she sat down next to him. “Who are those people? Your friends?”

Colton looked down at the boys on the beach. “A little surprise for you. It's your birthday, right?”

“Oh.” Tali smiled. “I've been meaning to ask. What are you planning on doing afterwards?”

“What, after the party?”

Tali looked at him. “No, I meant now that we're graduated. Any plans?”

Colton looked at Tali, then down at the ground. “The military, I guess. Whatever's good for daddy's gotta be good for me.” He scoffed. “Old man wants me to join up.”

“But do you?” Tali asked.

Colton snorted. All of a sudden, she heard a ding, then another ding, then a series of dings from Colton's phone.

“What now, Colton?” Tali asked.

Colton grunted and whipped his phone out of his pocket. He somewhat carelessly opened the display. Tali caught an image of a lovely girl showing off her merchandise to Colton. Tali's mind reeled as the image flashed on the screen.

'Who is that girl?” Tali asked.

Colton looked up sharply. “None of your concern.” He looked back down at his phone.

“But am I your girlfriend or what?” Tali shook her head, then shifted position to be facing Colton a bit more directly.

Colton looked back up from his phone, slightly irritated. “What's so important about you knowing about who I talk with on the phone?”

Tali stood up. “Well, if you're talking with other women and having them send you some titty pics, then what does that tell me?”

Colton got up and slapped Tali before she could react. “Enough with the constant questions, alright?!” He stormed off, leaving Tali stunned. She looked around, and when she found Amaya, slowly walked toward her. She pulled out her phone and sent Ziva a text. It read, “ _Hi, Ima. Doing OK. Colton acting strange_.”

She thought for a moment, then sent another text. “ _Will be home soon, hopefully._ ” She put the phone back in her pocket.

Amaya turned and saw her from a distance, and walked toward her. “How's things going?” She called out to Tali.

“Eh.” Tali shrugged and continued walking to Amaya, reaching her.

Amaya looked out over the ocean, taking in a breathful of the evening air. “What's up with you and Colton? Saw you talking over there with him.”

Tali turned and looked out over the ocean with Amaya, contemplating what had just happened between her and Colton.

Amaya looked at Tali. “Are things okay between you and him?”

Before Tali could answer, she heard Colton call out. “There you are!”

Tali gasped slightly and looked toward the voice. She saw him walking across the sand carrying two Caf-POW cups.

“Oh, gross.” Tali muttered to herself. She hated the drink.

Amaya looked up at another guy approaching them. “Oh, hi, Philip.”

Tali asked, “Your guy?”

Amaya giggled. “Yup. Just a date. Met him through Colton.”

Colton and Philip reached the two. “Here's yours.” Colton held out one of the Caf-POW cups.

“I don't really care for the Caf-POW drink.” Tali looked askance at the cup.

Colton looked at her. “Are you serious? It's just the cup, not the drink itself. Besides, it's just fruit punch.” He spoke a little too glibly.

Tali sighed and took the cup. “Well, if you insist.” But she didn't take a drink, not just yet. She held onto the cup as she and Colton started walking.

Amaya and Philip walked toward the fire pit as Tali and Colton walked down the beach. “Don't go too far,” Amaya called out to Tali.

“Try not to,” Tali called back to Amaya. She and Colton reached a small grassy knoll at the edge of the beach, overlooking the sand. A short distance away, she could see figures moving around the firepit, and a fire being lit. She turned to Colton. “What are they doing down there?”

Colton looked back toward the firepit. “Oh, the surprise, they're setting it up.” He spread out a blanket on the grassy knoll and sat down. “Here, take a seat.”

Tali continued to stand for a couple of moments, watching the figures scurry about. “Hm. Looks like fun, anyway.” She turned toward Colton and sat down.

Colton looked at her cup. “That drink good?” Ding. Ding-ding.

“Oh, for God's sake, turn that phone off.” Tali scoffed.

Colton groaned and pulled out his phone, looked at the screen for a moment, then put the phone back in his pocket. “There, it's off.” But he didn't turn his phone off, only the display screen.

Tali took a sip from her cup, and gagged at the taste. Before she could put it down, Colton reached out and tilted the bottom of the cup up, forcing Tali to take a bigger drink, nearly choking on the drink. She spluttered. “Stop it!”

Colton said, “Drink it all up. You're gonna be thirsty anyway, might as well drink it now.”

“No!” Tali said. She started feeling woozy all of a sudden, her anxiety starting to build up. She didn't recognize it as such, not just then. She tried to push the cup away.

Colton snapped. “I said you're gonna drink it all.” He moved the cup back to her lips and lifted it up and tilted it, trying to force her to drink more of it.

Tali spat the drink out and pushed the cup away, causing it to spill down the front of her white shirt, staining it reddish-brown. The taste and smell caused her stomach to turn. “Stop, I said!”

Colton became more aggressive, forcing the drink down her throat, then as the cup emptied, he threw the cup to the side, and forced her down onto the ground, his breathing starting to sound more ragged in her ears, as he attempted to force himself onto her. Tali screamed out, but her screams got cut off by Colton holding a hand over her mouth as he forced his way onto her.

“Ow!” Colton screamed out in pain as she bit down on his hand covering her mouth. In a burst of anger he slapped her hard enough to cause her head to rock over in the direction of the fireworks “Stay still, bitch!”

“Stop!” Tali cried out as he forced himself inside her.

“Happy birthday, Tali!” Colton grunted from the exertion. As he climaxed, Tali saw a firework mortar shoot into the air and burst. He whooped in celebration, but his celebration was short-lived.

KA-BOOM!

All of a sudden, Tali felt the weight of Colton suddenly leave her, and her ears rang from the sudden concussive blast. In the light of the explosion, she had noticed that Colton had been knocked off her by the shockwave of the explosion. Her anxiety hit a sudden peak and she brought her leg up and pistoned out with all her strength, somehow connecting with Colton in the groin area, causing him to fly up into the air then crumple onto the ground in a pained heap of flesh. He cried out in an almost animal cry as a massive blast of pain shot through his groin area, slamming into the base of his skull and up through his brain. She tried to get up, but was already woozy as the spiked drink started to take effect. She steadied herself, then stomped Colton in the family jewels a couple of times, scrambled around and searched his pockets, finding the keys. She spat in his face. “Bastard!”

Colton groaned. “You -”

She stomped on his face hard, then ran off to his car, leaving him unconscious, As she stumbled toward the car, she was starting to become more disoriented. She finally reached Colton's car, and managed to unlock the doors and climb into the car. She closed the door, and managed to shove the keys into the ignition and start the car. She looked back at the firepit, which by now had been blazing out of control, other fireworks starting to cook off in the fire. Another explosion rocked the car, and she squealed in fright, jerking the car into gear and mashing the gas pedal, squealing the tires out of the parking lot and down the street.

Back at home, Tony and Ziva were laying in their bed, trying to sleep, but failing miserably. They had not heard anything from Tali. Tony looked at the clock. It said 2:33. “Isn't Tali supposed to be home?” He muttered to himself.

Ziva shifted slightly. “Yes, she is.”

“Oh, can't sleep?” Tony opened his eyes wider.

Ziva sat up. “Not really. Not since I got the text from Tali.”

All of a sudden, both their phones started ringing, then the doorbell started ringing. Then pounding on the door as Tony got out of bed. He recognized _that_ kind of knock, and sprinted down the stairs to the living room door.

“What's going on?” Ziva asked, but she was too late. Tony had already left the room. She picked up her phone and saw an unfamiliar number.

Tony ran through the darkened living room. Red and blue lights were flashing through the window on the wall. He stopped at the door for a moment, then opened it. It took him a couple of moments to register who the two figures standing on the porch were. ""Uhm. May I help you, officers?”

“Are you Tony DiNozzo?” Ziva walked up behind Tony to hear the officer ask Tony.

One of the officers sighed. “There's been an accident. It's your daughter.”

Ziva slowly fell to her knees, moaning, crying, swearing in Hebrew.

Tony went to Ziva and knelt by her. “Shhh, it's okay, we'll go see her. I'll get McGee over here.” He gently picked Ziva up and sat her on the couch, and consoled her for a moment.

“Do you need anything?” The officer asked.

Tony looked up. “No, I, uhh, I need to contact my friend. “Tony got up and got his phone and sent McGee a text that said “ _Emergency_ ”, then called McGee. He waited until McGee picked up. Before McGee could say anything, Tony said, “Get over here now, I got a situation on my hands.” He hung up.

“How did this happen?” Ziva looked up through her tears.

The other officer said, “We believe something serious happened. We need you to come to the hospital. We'll provide escort.”

“Uhh, sure.” Tony wanted to run off in six different directions at the same time, trying to get things ready, getting his car keys, getting his shirt on, making sure Ziva was ready.

The officer reached out and held Tony. “Whoa, whoa, big man. Take a deep breath. Get yourself in order.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I've got a bad feeling about this.” His gut instincts were usually dead on.

McGee showed up moments later. “What's the situation?”

Tony looked at McGee. “Keep an eye on the kids. Tali's in the hospital.”

“What?!” McGee was surprised.

“Yeah, car accident, they said. I'll find out more when I get there,” Tony said as he helped Ziva into the SUV.

It didn't take them very long to arrive at the hospital, thanks to the high-speed police escort. Tony and Ziva practically ran into the ER waiting room, and they heard the sound of anguished wailing. He looked over and saw Gary and Barb Hemmings in the corner of the waiting room, Barbara inconsolable with grief, Gary trying to comfort her but failing. He suddenly noticed that the waiting room was almost full of concerned and upset parents.

“My daughter!” Barbara wailed. “She's gone! No-o-o-o-o-o!”

Ziva gasped. “Oh, no!”

Tony grabbed ahold of Ziva, comforting her. “Shh, I've got you.”

Just then, the emergency doctor walked into the waiting room. “Is there a Tony DiNozzo here?”

Tony raised a finger. “Here.”

“You Tali's parents?”

Tony nodded numbly. “Is she okay?”

The doctor winced slightly and shook his head. “She's got a broken bone, and we've had to take her spleen out. It was ruptured from the car accident. She's now in an induced coma for the next night or so.”

“But, why?” Ziva asked. “Why all these people?”

Just then, a different pair of officers walked into the waiting room and made a beeline for the DiNozzos. These had the look of detectives on them, Tony noticed. He thought one of them looked familiar.

“Who are you guys? Metro?” Tony asked as he held Ziva, consoling her.

“FBI, actually. We're working with ATF on this one as well. I'm Agent Anderson.” He turned to the junior agent. “This is Agent Smith.”

“Oh, great, don't Matrix me, now.” Tony scoffed.

The agents let out a short chuckle. “We get that a lot.”

Ziva looked up. “What does the ATF have to do with a car accident? The FBI?”

Agent Anderson nodded. “Yeah, so it looks like there was a party gone wrong on the beach. We found a number of drinks there, some fireworks.” He turned to Agent Smith. “The notes, please?”

“Oh, yeah, here.” She handed a folder to Anderson.

He opened the folder. “Okay, here it is. Apparently, there was an explosion. We got multiple witnesses saying a large piece of firework short-fused, blew up on or near the ground.”

“But Tali wasn't -?” Tony started to ask.

“No, she wasn't in the immediate area. She crashed a few blocks away. Witnesses said she was acting disoriented as she got out of the car. Stumbled out, actually.” Agent Anderson read the notes in the folder.

Ziva looked up. “But what caused her to flee? What caused her to crash?”

Agent Anderson replied, “We got her tox results back She had drugs in her system. She had rohypnol in her system.”

“Roofies?” Tony gasped. “She wouldn't take that on her own.”

Ziva gasped and collapsed to the floor. She felt light-headed, almost faint, as her own memories flooded back into her head of the Caf-POW, the all-too-familiar drugged sensation from the date rape drug.

The nurses rushed over to make sure Ziva was okay. Agent Anderson sighed. “We believe that she was the subject of a sexual assault by someone. There was evidence pointing to that. Who that person is, we don't know yet.”

Ziva gasped and looked up. “Colton. That bastard. If I get my hands on him -” She angrily got up.

Tony encircled her in his hug as she rose up, stopping her. “Shhh, no, let them do their job.”

“No. If I find out it was him, you better not be in the way of me and my paper clips!” There was fire in Ziva's eyes.

“But, what does the explosion have to do with Tali's accident?” Tony still didn't quite understand where the two fit together.

The agents looked at each other, then Agent Smith spoke up. “We believe that the sexual assault was happening right around the same time as the explosion. We're trying to find the suspect, whoever he is. We think Tali managed to get away from him when the explosion happened.”

Ziva let out a harsh sigh. “So, you're saying she had roofies in her? He must have made her drink it, then.”

Agent Anderson nodded. “Yeah, her clothing had stains from a drink on it. We tested the residue, and it tested positive for roofies. We also found a Caf-POW cup nearby.”

Tony's eyes narrowed. “That Colton.”

“Who is he to Tali?” Anderson asked Tony.

Tony sighed. “He's Tali's supposed boyfriend. She didn't really care for him but he was... possessive?”

The two agents looked at each other. “Fits the profile, all right. Got a real narcissistic personality, doesn't he?” Smith asked Tony.

“Acting like the world owed him everything, like he could do whatever he wanted. Yup, that's him. Where is he, anyways?” Tony tilted his head.

Ziva ran from the room and vomited into a trash can.

Tony looked at the agents. “You find that bastard before she does.” He glared at the agents, then ran off after Ziva, to console her.

The agents nodded and left the room.

The next evening Tony entered Tali's room after having made a run back home to check on things and to get a new set of clothes for Tali and Ziva. He saw that Ziva was sitting by Tali's bed, her head resting on the bed, on top of her hands. Looking closer, he noticed that she was holding Tali's hand, and they were buried under her head and she slept. He looked up at the machines, and sighed, contemplating the recent turn of events.

“Tony! Tali!” He heard Ziva mutter in her sleep. She had not left Tali's side since the whole ordeal began.

“Ziva, I'm here.” He reached out and gently rubbed Ziva's back. She awoke with a start.

“Tony?” Ziva blinked her eyes awake. “Oh, you're back. How's the kids?” She cleared her throat.

Tony nodded. “Doing good. They're worried. How's Tali?”

  
Just then, Tali stirred in her bed. She groaned in pain as she tried to stretch her broken arm, but couldn't because of the cast. She slowly woke up, then turned her head toward Ziva. “Ima?”

“Tali, you're awake!” Ziva turned to Tali and smiled. She reached out and held her hand.

“Where's Dad?” Tali tried to sit up in her bed.

“Daddy is here, my darling” Tony smiled at Tali.

Just then, the doctor walked in. “Oh, I see you're awake, good to see.” He turned to Tony and Ziva and flipped through the charts. “Lab results came back, the drug's already cleared her system. We'll let her rest another couple of days or so, keep an eye on her incision.”

“What? Oh, the spleen.” It took Tony a couple of seconds to click. “Right. She doing okay, though?”

The doctor nodded and smiled. “Yup, she's doing remarkably well, considering the circumstances. I think she'll be good to go home in a couple days or so. Just gotta make sure she's recovering nicely.”

Ziva spoke up. “And her arm?”

The doctor turned to Ziva. “Yeah, it'll be a few weeks before that cast comes off. Good thing it's just a simple fracture of the ulna, this bone in the arm here.” He pointed to the side of the forearm closest to the pinky finger.

“Ah.” Tony said. “How'd she break that arm, though?”

Tali spoke up from her bed. “Ima?”

Ziva looked at Tali. “I'm here.” She took hold of Tali's hand.

The doctor said to Tony, “The best guess I can come up with is she probably was protecting her face during the car accident. Probably smacked the steering wheel.”

A couple of days later, a couple of different FBI agents came to Tali's room. They stood to the side as the nurses completed their hourly checks and fussed over the IV bags. After they had left, they introduced themselves. “I'm Agent Moska, and this is Agent Ingalls.”

Ziva smiled. “Ziva. I've heard about you in my former line of work.”

Moska raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” He looked a little closer at Ziva. “Oh, long time no see.” He finally recognized her.

Tony smiled. “Another life.” He shook the agents' hands as they introduced themselves.

“So, how're you feeling right now, Tali?” Moska asked.

Tali sat up straighter in her bed and raised the bed higher. “Much better than a couple days ago. Pieces of it are still a blur.”

“You don't mind if we ask you some questions? Record your answers?” Ingalls held up her smartphone.

“Uhhh, sure.” Tali winced slightly. “Ooh, my stomach.” The staples reminded her of their presence as she tried to adjust her position to where she could see the agents better.

“Ooh, yeah, you wanna take it easy with that.” Ingalls winced slightly. “You mind if I set the phone up to record on the table here?”

Tali nodded. “Sure, go ahead.”

Ziva sat in the chair next to Tali, while Tony stood next to the window, watching them for a moment, then watching out the window, mulling things over.

Ingalls set up the recording app on her phone. “Now, can you tell how it all started? Say your name first. Remember, we're recording this.”

Tali nodded and looked at Tony. She licked her lips; she wasn't yet sure if she was comfortable talking about what had happened in front of her dad, not just yet. She looked back to Ziva, then at the agents. “Uhm.”

Ziva had read Tali better than the rest. “Tony?” She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

Tony stood up a little straighter from where he had been leaning on the window ledge. “Oh, yeah. Just remembered, I need to make a couple of phone calls.” He walked out of the room.

Ziva held Tali's hand. “Don't be afraid. Talk to _me_ about it. Don't worry about them, pretend they're not here.” She could read Tali's anxiety radiating from her like a neon sign.

Moska pulled up another chair and sat down. “Okay, how did it all start?” He flipped out a small notepad. “Moska for the record,” he said for the benefit of the recorder.

“Uhm, it, uhm...” She stopped for a moment to organize her thoughts. “My name is Tali Liliana DiNozzo.” She cleared her throat. “Uhm, it was on the day of my birthday, Colton had come over with his group of friends and Amaya...” She trailed off.

“What is it?” Moska asked.

“Amaya?!” She sat fully upright in the bed, ignoring the sudden pain in her stomach. “Is she alright?”

“It's alright, she's alright.” Ziva said.

“No!” A sudden burst of emotion showed on Tali's face. “The explosion – she was there!”

Ziva gulped hard. How could she tell her that her best friend had died in the explosion? It took her a few moments before she could reply. “Tali, she died in the explosion. They think - they think that Colton set it off.”

“But, Ima, he was on top of me! I tried to get him off of me!” Tali started crying.

Ingalls spoke up. “Who was with Colton? There were other people hurt, too. A couple of deaths.”

Tali gulped through her tears. Ingalls held out a box of tissues for Tali, who took out a few tissues and blew her nose into them. “Philip, and I don't know any of the others. He was Amaya's date.”

“On top of you?” Ziva was still trying to process what Tali was saying.

“He made me drink this god-awful concoction. I still gag, thinking about it.” Tali shuddered. “I never want to see another Caf-POW again.”

Full comprehension registered in Ziva's mind. She looked up at the agents, fire in her eyes.

“Alright, back up.” Moska flipped to another page in his notebook. “After he and his gang showed up at your house, what happened?”

Tali sighed. “Well, Colton was acting like a jerk the whole time he was there, and my dad kicked him out, told him to come back later.”

Moska nodded. “And how'd he take it?”

Ziva scoffed.

Tali let out a short chuckle. “Dad made him clean up his drink that he spilled. Twice, even. He didn't like that too much.”

Ziva chuckled. “I told him to, I don't want that drink on our property again.”

Ingalls and Moska chuckled. “I don't see why people like that stuff. It's nasty,” Ingalls said.

“Anyway.” Tali cleared her throat. “Water, please?”

“Sure.” Ziva smiled and reached behind her to the table and poured out a small cup of water and handed it to Tali.

Ingalls waited until Tali had taken a sip. “And then?”

“Then he drove us to the beach.”

Moska looked up. “Us who? You, Colton, who else?”

Tali sighed and took a sip. “Yes, me, Colton, Amaya. Amaya's my best friend. _Was,_ anyways.” The news of her death was still ringing in her ears.

Moska and Ingalls looked at each other. “And Amaya is... who to Colton?”

Tali looked at Ziva, then back at the agents. “He's her brother.”

“Okay, and then at the beach, what happened there?”

Tali shut her eyes and held her breath, then slowly let it out in a long sigh.

“It's okay, I'm here.” Ziva said calmly. Inwardly, Ziva was fuming, ready to lay waste and destruction to Colton.

Tali nodded and sucked on the straw of her water, taking long draws until she reached the end and loudly slurped up the rest of the water. Ziva looked at her, recognizing the signs of anxiety in Tali. How they closely echoed her anxiety symptoms.

“Need more water?” Ingalls asked.

“Uhm.” Tali handed the cup to Ziva instead, who refilled it and handed it back to Tali, who then emptied that cup and handed it back to Ziva.

“Whoa, now.” Ziva said. She refilled it, and put it back on the table for Tali. “Are you okay?” She looked at Tali.

Tali sighed and nodded. “Well, at the beach, we talked a bit. But he continued acting like a jerk, and he kept getting text messages from different people on his phone.”

Moska asked, “Did you see who they were?”

Tali shook her head. “Only saw a picture, another girl showing her goods to him. Didn't quite get the name.”

“What?” Ziva said.

“Yeah, and he wouldn't tell me who they were. When I asked him about it he slapped me, then stormed off.”

A scowl crept over Ziva's face. She shook her head minutely.

“What did you and Colton talk about before he went off on you?”

Tali turned her head toward Ingalls, who had asked the question. “Uhm... I asked him where we stood in regards to our relationship. I got disgusted when I saw that picture. I asked because she was sending him nude pics of herself.” She sighed.

“Hmm.” Moska scribbled a few notes in his notepad, then flipped back to an earlier entry. “And then, what happened after he slapped you?”

Tali looked over to Moska. “Well, he stormed off, like I said. I walked over to Amaya, and when I did that, I sent a text to Ima. I had a feeling about it but wasn't sure, that's why I sent the text.”

Ziva nodded. “Yes, I got that text, then nothing further until the police showed up.”

Moska shifted in his chair as he looked at Ziva. “Got it.” He made a couple of entries in his notepad. “Then, you talked with Amaya?”

“Right, but I didn't get to talk with her much because Colton returned. With drinks for both of us.”

Moska and Ingalls glanced at each other. “That would explain the cup found at the scene,” Moska said as he jotted down some notes.

Ingalls nodded. “And then, what happened?”

Tali grabbed her cup of water and emptied it, slurping loudly.

Ziva gasped. “Tali!” She took the cup from Tali once she had finished drinking. “You're gonna drink the planet dry, you keep that up.” She chuckled.

Tali chuckled. Oddly enough, that remark helped relieve some of the anxiety she had within her. “Uhm. He gave me the drink, and I didn't drink it right away. We walked over to this little grassy knoll, where I could see the firepit. Colton put down a blanket so we could sit and talk.”

Ingalls nodded. “Got you so far. Continue, please.” She glanced over at her smartphone, which was still recording.

“Then, I asked him what his plans were since we graduated, and he said something about joining the military. He sounded as if he was being forced to join by his dad.” Tali licked her lips and swallowed. “Uhm...” She looked over at the empty cup.

“Hold my hand, Tali.” Ziva said, taking hold of one of Tali's hands.

“Then his phone kept going off, and I told him to turn his phone off, and he started becoming more demanding. Telling me to drink my drink, which I didn't want to in the first place.”

Ziva nodded. She knew that Tali wouldn't drink Caf-POW; she had trained the children not to touch the stuff.

“You resisted and yet he still forced you to drink?” Moska asked.

Tali nodded. “He kept pushing the cup up to my lip and got the drink spilled all over the front of my shirt, and I pushed it away. The second time he made me _drink_ it.” She emphasized the last word.

Moska looked at Tali, then at his notepad. “And you fought back?”

Tears started rolling down Tali's cheeks. “I tried my best to push him off of me, but he was too strong. I bit his hand, and I don't remember much. Fireworks going off, him on top of me, then explosions. The rest is a blur.”

Ziva looked down at her hand; it was red and sweaty from Tali gripping her hand so tightly. “Tali, I'm glad you got away from him somehow.”

Tali nodded. “When the first big explosion took place, it was like Colton was.... lifted off of me? I dunno, I kicked him as hard as I could and got away somehow.”

Moska scribbled another note in his notepad. “And you're sure you don't remember anything afterwards?”

“No.” Tali shook her head. “W-wait. Yeah, I think I remember stomping him on his face and taking his keys, but was it a dream?”

Moska chuckled. “Oh, no. We found him, alright. His face is all messed up. Makes sense now.”

“Where'd you find him?” Ziva asked.

Ingalls replied, “We found him at his house, still high as a kite. He must have stumbled all the way from that beach to his house. Five miles, I'm impressed.”

Moska scoffed. “For a city slicker, sure. Five miles is nothing when you've gone through SEAL training in a former life.”

Ziva let out a short chuckle. “So? What now?”

Moska nodded. “I think we got all the info we needed.” He stood up. “One thing, though, he ain't talking. Said something about wanting to talk to someone.”

“I don't want to talk to him ever again!” There was sudden fire in Tali's eyes.

“Not you.” Moska turned to Ziva. “He wants to talk with you, apparently.”

“Why me?” Ziva shook her head, still not understanding why the sudden desire to talk with her.

Tali started yawning. The medications the nurse had hung on the IV rig had started to take effect; she started to not be in as much pain, but was all of a sudden tired from the medication.

“Alright, I think that's enough. She needs her rest now.” She got up and led the two agents out of the room. After she closed the door behind them, she rounded onto the agents. “What's his story here?”

Moska gulped. “Well, our boy here is basically trying to throw this Philip dude under the bus, trying to throw Tali under the bus. What we got out of him while he was sitting in that room and stewing for a while.”

Tony walked up to them. “Got all the info you needed?”

The agents nodded. Moska said, “Got the info, got the subject. We'll let Tali rest, she's done a great job filling in all the blanks for us. No charges against her for leaving the scene, extenuating circumstances and all that.”

The next morning, Ziva and Tony headed to the FBI branch office to meet with Moska and Ingalls. There, they ran into Gary and Gibbs.

“Oh, hi.” Tony waved to Gibbs.

Ziva looked at Gary. He looked haggard, his face drawn out from dealing with making funeral plans, plus dealing with Colton's situation. “Good morning to you two.” Ziva nodded.

“Could be better, but thanks.” Gary nodded. He was still coming to grips with what had happened that night.

Moska came out to meet them. “Let's take you on back.” He guided them back towards the interrogation room area. As they walked past the rows of desks, Ziva's eyes caught sight of a box of paperclips on one of the desks. She furtively grabbed the box as she walked past. Nobody saw it, except Tony, who raised an eyebrow. He let her go ahead, and he fell in step with Gibbs.

“Gibbs.” Tony whispered.

Gibbs looked at Tony and raised an eyebrow.

“Paperclips.” He looked back at Ziva and nodded once.

Gibbs understood exactly what he meant. “We'll go in with her,” he spoke quietly.

The group stopped before the interrogation room. “You enter here. Wait until we're in the other room.” Moska pointed towards a door, then walked over with Ingalls to the other room. When they entered the other room, Ziva, Tony, Gibbs and Gary entered the room.

“Enjoying your stay here?” Gibbs asked.

Colton was seated, scowling. He looked up at everyone. “Yeah, so what about it?” He fired back at Gibbs.

Tony leaned into Colton's face. “Last place I expected to find you here, and yet, here we are.” He leaned closer. “If I were you, I'd be very afraid of that woman over there.” He pointed towards Ziva.

Colton looked at Tony and scowled. “I ain't talking to you.”

“You said you wanted to talk to her? Good luck.” Tony stood up and walked to a corner of the room, where he could watch.

Ziva grabbed the other chair and put it right in front of him and sat down in front of him, purposefully getting into his space. “You wanted to talk with me? Here I am, so talk.” She stared intently in his eyes.

Colton gasped slightly with the intensity of her stare. But he refused to be intimidated. “Your daughter's beautiful. I didn't hurt her, I only wanted a good time with her.”

Ziva got up and started pacing the room, walking around Colton, causing him to be nervous. She said nothing.

Colton, unnerved by this, spluttered. “What? I told you she wanted it.”

“So, what kind of birthday party did you have planned for her?” Ziva continued walking around.

Tony and Gibbs stood in the corners farthest from Colton, watching the whole thing. “Yeah, that's what I was wondering about,” Tony spoke up.

Colton spoke up, in a smart-aleck tone. “Fireworks, booze. Just a fun time.”

Gibbs spoke up. “Nothing fun about having a drink forced down your throat.”

“She really liked the drink. I'm telling you.” Colton still had that smug attitude on his face. “Everybody drinks it.” He shrugged.

Ziva shook her head. But Colton didn't see it, because she was behind him. She reached for the box of paperclips and managed to get one out. She turned it over and over in her hand in her pocket. “You assume that just because everyone drinks Caf-POW that she would like it?”

Colton turned to her. “I mean, she likes the drink, doesn't she?”

The way Colton had been so glib with his replies set Ziva off. She walked around in front of Colton and sat down in front of him. She took the box of paperclips out and dumped it all over the table.

The agents in the other room looked at each other, then back through the one-way window. “Huh? Paperclips?”

“What's with the paperclips?” Colton scoffed.

Tony spoke up from the corner. “I warned you about the paperclips.” He did the “I'm watching you” hand move.

Colton gulped visibly. “It's a joke, right?” He looked around the room at the others.

Tony approached Colton. “Yeah, you think that all you want. It's not.” He chuckled.

Unnoticed by the rest of the people, Ziva picked up a paperclip and straightened one end out.

“What are you gonna do with the paperclips? You can't hurt me with one.” Colton still had a cocky attitude to his voice.

Ziva suddenly got up and jabbed the paperclip into his arm, causing Colton to scream in pain. She picked up another paperclip and straightened that out.

The agents ran into the room, but Gibbs stopped them. “Whoa. Just _watch_ her.”

Tony interjected. “Yeah, just watch her.”

Ziva looked up at the agents, then back to Colton. “You need to talk. Tell the truth what happened.”

Colton fired back. “And if I don't?”

Ziva grabbed Colton's hair and pulled it back. Colton would have fallen backward were it not for his hands being cuffed to the table.

“Aieeee!” Colton screamed out in terror as he saw the paperclip shooting through the air directly for his left eyeball. He clapped his eyes shut, expecting to feel the sudden pain of the paperclip rocketing through his eyeball, but feeling none. When he realized he wasn't getting stabbed in the eyeball, he opened his eyes only to see the end of the paperclip floating a millimeter away from his eyeball, Ziva staring at him.

“Talk!” Ziva said, holding the paperclip a couple of millimeters away from Colton's eyeball.

Colton tried to move his head away from the paperclip, but couldn't. Ziva's strength was too much for him to overcome. “Unnnnhhh!” He tried to speak but the way Ziva had pulled his head way back caused him to become short of breath when he tried to speak. She moved his head a little.

“Unnnnh.” Colton strained to move his head just enough so he could get enough air to talk. “Philip brought the fireworks, someone else brought the booze and drinks.”

“No, what did you do to my daughter?!” Ziva screamed right in his face.

“I gave her a drink and talked with her, that's it!”

Ziva slammed the paperclip into his leg. “Wrong answer!” She picked up another paperclip and straightened it out.

Colton jumped and screamed in pain. “Ow, god! Stop!”

“The truth!” Ziva did not let up.

“Okay, yes, I dropped something in her drink to loosen her up.” Colton was doubled over in pain, but he couldn't reach either area because his hands were cuffed to the table.

“What'd you put in her drink?” Ziva fired right back in his face.

“Roofies.” Colton sobbed.

Suddenly, Ziva was shoved aside, and Gary reached over and slapped Colton so hard he fell off his chair, hanging by his arms. The sound of bone cracking could be heard in the room.

“How dare you!” Gary bellowed at his son. “You're no son of mine now. After all I've done for you, to get you set for life, with a military career?” He grabbed Colton by the front of his shirt. “I just had to bury your sister. She's dead. _Dead,_ you hear?! All because of you and your druggie friends!” He stormed out of the room in a huff.

Gibbs shook his head at Colton. “Game over. You're screwed now, Colton.”

Moska spoke up. “Colton, based on what we just heard, you're now being charged for possession of illegal fireworks -”

“But it wasn't me! It was Philip!” Colton protested, trying to massage his now-broken wrist.

Moska kept on speaking. “... possession of drugs, sexual assault...”

Colton protested as Moska read the litany of charges being leveled against him. “But Philip brought it all!”

Moska looked up. “How convenient. For your information, Philip is dead, and we can't very well charge him, now, can we? We'll just charge you just the same. Manslaughter of your sister, kidnapping. Oh, boy, you're going away for a very long time.”

A few weeks later, in Israel, the DiNozzo family arrived at the Olive Grove home. When they got out of the airport shuttle vehicle, they looked at the well-manicured lawn, impressed with how well-kept the property looked. The kids ran out towards the olive grove to romp around while Tony, Ziva, and Rivka unloaded their things into the house.

“What a relief, with all that craziness behind us.” Tony sighed.

Ziva chuckled. “You said it. I'll tell you one thing, though. If Colton hadn't confessed, we would still be there, fighting through the courts to get this taken care of.”

Tony laughed. “You sure got him to crack.”

Ziva said, “Yeah. Then Gary, being who he is, sure jumped down his throat and finished the job.”

Tony nodded. “Gotta feel sorry for the man, though. Such a tragedy in his family.”

Rivka said, “I'm glad he's going away for – practically the rest of his life.” She looked off towards the olive grove, then walked to the house.

Ziva nodded. “Sad that he chose to just throw his life away, though. And that Amaya is no longer with us.”

“Yeah.” Tony turned to look at the sky. “At least we can now put this behind us and move on.”

Ziva looked at the olive grove, where the kids were playing nearby. She smiled at the happy sounds as the kids played hide and seek. Shouts of “You're it!” punctuated the sky as the kids tagged each other and took turns playing It.

Tony walked closer to Ziva and embraced her. “It's good to hear them happy again. It's much needed.” He looked at her face. “For all of us.”

Ziva chuckled as she saw Tali running around, laughter on her face. “Good to see her back to her old self again.” She nodded toward Tali.

Later in the afternoon, Ziva gathered up the family at the dining room table. As she sat down, Ziva looked at Tony, who then winked back at her. She smiled gently at Tony, then looked at Rivka, “Ima, I am really glad you came with all of us.” She then looked at the kids. “Okay, here's the plan.”

The children sat up, paying a little more attention to Ziva. “What's that?” AJ said.

Ziva took a moment to look at her family. “I will be gone for few days and I will be taking Tali with me, and your Dad will be going with us. You'll have Savta here if you need anything.”

AJ asked, “What if there's an emergency?”

Tony smiled. “We're always a phone call away.” He held up his phone.

Tali nodded. “Yeah. Just you and me, Ima. And Dad.” Tali smiled at Ziva.

Becky perked up, “So, can I get to do some artwork with Savta!?”

AJ's face brightened. “I can do some star-gazing here. Nice, wide open spaces, no lights to mess up my viewing.”

“There you go, AJ.” Tony chuckled.

Adam piped up. “Can we go play in our treehouse?” He signed the word 'tree' so Ethan knew what he was talking about.

“Yeah, treehouse?” Ethan added.

“Sure, why not. Listen to Savta, if she asks you to do something, you do it, okay?” Tony looked at the younger children.

They nodded assent, and then ran off to play.

The next day, Tony, Ziva, and Tali got in their SUV and left. After a long drive and some sightseeing, they came upon a ruined farmhouse. Fragments of a memory of what had happened here started percolating through Tali's mind. She didn't remember every detail, just bits and pieces. She only remembered how there was a big fire and explosion at the house, and that she'd always hated open fires, and now fireworks. As they passed the farmhouse, Tali contemplated her own feelings, but didn't yet share them with Ziva.

Ziva talked quietly. “Tony, thank you for coming with us. I think it's good that just the three of us could spend time together, right?” Internally, she sighed, as if she had a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders.

Tony nodded, looking at Ziva, smiles at her, “I am more than happy to be with you and be there for you, we all will go through this together.” He looked back at the road, continuing to drive.

Ziva smiled. She looked back at Tali, noticing Tali had dozed off. Her face looked peaceful, as if the recent events had never happened. She noticed that she was snoring lightly. “Tali seems to snore like me nowadays, right?” Ziva chuckled.

Tony nodded with a chuckle, “Tali's done it since the day I got her.” He chuckled lightly. “Imagine my surprise when I first heard her snore. Never knew kids also snored.”

Ziva chuckled. “I guess they do snore also.”

As they pulled up to the cabin they had reserved for themselves, they saw that there was a deck with a table and chairs off to the side.

“Oh, that's nice.” Tony turned the ignition off and unlocked the rear hatch before getting out.

Ziva paused. “Oh, that's new.” She thought she remembered that there was no deck there the last time she was there.

Tony looked up at her. “What's new?”

“The deck. That wasn't there the last time I was here.” Ziva looked at Tony.

“Oh, you were here before?” Tony looked at Ziva, then back at the cabin.

Ziva sighed. “It's where I stayed with Adam and Tali, before I sent Tali to be with you.”

Tali walked over to the deck and sat in one of the chairs. “Wow, this is nice, Ima.” Tali smiled. “Out in the middle of nowhere, away from everybody.”

Ziva smiled at Tali. “That's why I chose this place when I first brought you here. Quiet, relaxing.”

Tali nodded. “This is the first time since... that day, that I've been able to really relax.” She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the sky.

Tony and Ziva finished unloading the SUV and brought all their stuff to the cabin. Ziva came out moments later and sat with Tali.

“I'll head on down the road to this store I saw on our way in,” Tony said, walking past them.

Ziva looked up at Tony. “Alright, enjoy yourself. Take your time.” She smiled.

“Will do.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss Ziva on the cheek. He stood back up and as he walked past them, gave Tali a couple pats on the back. “Love you, kiddo.”

Tali looked up and smiled at Tony. “Love you too, Dad.”

Tony turned and walked off down the road.

Tali sat there, looking out at the city skyline in the distance, the sun setting behind some distant trees. She took in a deep breath as she closed eyes; Ziva did the same.

A few moments after closing her eyes, Ziva opened her eyes and looked at Tali. “Tali, you like the feeling of the calmness and quiet here?”

Tali nodded. “Peaceful.”

Ziva nodded. “Ever since I went on a mission to Somalia that went bad, I've always had anxiety.” Ziva sighed.

Tali looked at Ziva. “Anxiety? What's that?”

“Anxiety is when you feel nervous, when you feel something wrong. Like something bad's going to happen.”

Tali thought for a second. “Oh, like how I had this bad feeling when Colton was acting like a jerk to me?”

“Exactly.” Ziva nodded. “Look, you can use anxiety for good things – like you did back there with Colton. If you know how to channel it, you can use that energy for good.”

“Yeah, but it was so scary, Ima.” Tali's face was etched with anxiety.

Ziva nodded. “Yes, it can be scary. The important thing is that you recognize it. When it comes, you can do little relaxation exercises to help calm you.”

“How do you know all this, Ima?” Tali looked up at Ziva.

Ziva showed one of her arms, with scars on it to Tali. “Because I've been through something similar.”

Tali sat, stunned. “You too?” She breathed. A tear leaked from her eye.

Ziva nodded wordlessly and hugged Tali tightly. They hugged each other tightly for several minutes, letting the tears flow, as they realized that they now fully understood each other, how they felt, how the way they saw the world would never be the same from that point on.

“I love you, Ima.” Tali's voice cracked.

Ziva kissed Tali on the top of her head. “You, too.”

“Ima, I now understand why you hated that Caf-POW drink. The smell, I can’t stand it now.” Tali shuddered at the sudden intrusion of memory.

“At lo levad,” Ziva said, hugging Tali.

Tali nodded. “Thank you for being there for me. And helping out.”

Ziva nodded. “I'd do anything for you.” She smiled.

Just then, Tony came walking up the walkway to the cabin, bringing a couple of sacks. “Got some food, you want?” He held up the sacks.

Tali's face brightened in a smile. “Oh yes! I'm famished.”

Everybody dug in their meals and enjoyed the cool breeze outside as they ate on the deck. As they started eating, the sound of a mourning dove reached their ears. They looked up at the olive tree in the lawn nearby, and after a couple of moments, caught sight of the doves.

“Oh, look!” Tali pointed to the birds. She smiled internally, thinking that it was Amaya telling her that everything is okay with her.

Tony and Ziva looked at the birds. “They're beautiful,” Ziva said.

Tali nodded. “I feel like Amaya's trying to tell me everything's okay with her now.” She went back to her food.

Tony nodded. “Yeah.” He looked back at Tali. “I want you to know that no matter what happens, we got your back.”

Ziva nodded.

Tali looked at Tony, then she noticed the scar on his arm, that she hadn't really paid attention to until now. “You too?”

Tony looked at where Tali was looking, then looked back up at her. He looked at Ziva, then back to Tali once again. “Yeah, me too. Not like you or Ima, but something somewhat similar.” He added, noticing the puzzled look on Tali's face.

“What, then?”

Tony saw Ziva biting her bottom lip. He sighed, and reached out to hold Ziva's hand. “It happened in Somalia. Went after your mom, took great risks to save her life. McGee, too.”

Tali gasped. It all made sense to her now, why her parents had always acted a certain way, why they did things a certain way. It was all to protect themselves and their family. She reached out and hugged both of them tightly. “I love you both.” She placed the ILY hand-sign on Ziva's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos and Messages.


	5. Growing - Positively

August 2032

“Nice little session we had, Tony,” Ziva stretched out on the yoga mat, inhaling the crisp chilly air, looking up at the stars in the sky. The very faintest rays of sunrise were just starting to peek over the horizon. She looked over at Tony, studying his face in the dim light.

Tony grunted slightly with his stretches. “Yeah, I'd say we got the perfect time, before the kids woke up.” Tony smiled at Ziva, knowing she was looking at him.

Ziva nodded. “Perfect chance to do our meditation exercises.” She didn't really care for the happy pills that seemed so prevalent in society. _A happy pill for every little problem, and they push them onto people like candy_ , she thought to herself, shaking her head slightly.

Tony drew a sharp intake of breath. “Been a while since we've had the chance to really meditate.” He looked over and reached out for Ziva's hand.

Ziva looked at Tony, “A little short run beforehand definitely helped, also. Long enough to get the heart rate up, not long enough to make you drop from lung over stress.” Ziva tilted her head, smiling at Tony as she drank her bottled water.

Tony chuckled, leaning toward Ziva. “Even though my lungs aren't the iron lungs that you have, I still enjoy these sessions with you.” He nodded his head. “The kids also. My, how awesome they are. So proud of them.” Tony chuckled softly, then planting a kiss on Ziva's lips.

Smiling from the kiss she got, Ziva chuckled. “Yes, I am impressed with the kids. Just look at them when they're outdoors. They really enjoy the outdoors, just like us. They've bounced back very quickly.”

Tony nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I agree. You do notice that Tali is picking up on some things that we do?” After getting a raised eyebrow from Ziva that told “I don't know, continue?” he nodded, then said, “I've seen her doing some yoga exercises, some meditation, and I think a bit of aromatherapy.”

“Aromatherapy?” Ziva tilted her head.

Tony nodded once, a big nod. “Sometimes apple cinnamon, sometimes lavender. I get a slight whiff every so often when I walk past her room.”

Ziva nodded slowly, starting to understand. “Ahh, she found some methods that work for herself, I see.”

Tony smiled. “Oh, yeah. Like what may work for one may not work for another, and vice versa. Anyway, I think she's handling things better than I thought she would.”

Ziva nodded, “She's a good girl. Yes, she's been through a lot. But, never underestimate her strength.” She smiled. “She surprised me as well.”

Tony did a final stretch, then sat up to face Ziva. “Ah, that feels good. Ready to start the day?”

Ziva chuckled. “Oh yes.” She rolled up her yoga mat and got her water bottle and turned to walk into the house. Tony followed close behind with his mat and water bottle.

A moment before Tony and Ziva entered the kitchen from the back door, they stopped to stow away their yoga mats and exercise shoes, and as they were doing so, they heard sounds coming from the kitchen. They walked into the kitchen and saw Rivka getting coffee made and preparing to cook some breakfast.

“Oh, good morning, you two.” Rivka looked up and smiled at them.

She walked over to the table as Tony and Ziva sat down. “Coffee?” Rivka smiled.

“Good morning, Ima. No, not yet.” She smiled at Rivka. “Just got done with our yoga and exercises. When breakfast is served, though, I'll have a bit of coffee.”

“Ah that sounds relaxing. I'm glad you're doing the exercises every chance you get.” Rivka walked back to the kitchen to continue with the breakfast. “I used to do the same when you were young, you know. Even after I was forced away.”

Tony nodded and smiled. “It seems that Tali has also picked up some of our good habits without too much input on the relaxation angle.”

Rivka let out a small chuckle. “Maybe because she's learned a thing of two from me as well.” She looked back at Tony and Ziva.

Ziva chuckled. “That would probably explain the aromatherapy. Your idea?”

Rivka nodded. “A little goes a very long way to relieving stress. Different smells for different things or moods. What one person may like, may not be as pleasing for another.”

Tony's face changed as he suddenly had a question forming in his brain. “Oh, so, if she wanted apple cinnamon she would use it for a different reason than if she used lavender?”

“Peppermint also.” Rivka nodded. “She only uses it very occasionally, it is a strong oil. One drop is sufficient.”

“Fascinating.” Ziva said. Just then, as Rivka brought over the coffee and poured out the coffee, Ethan came into the room, making a beeline for Ziva. “Good morning, Ethan.” She smiled at Ethan.

“Morning,” Ethan signed to Ziva.

Ziva looked into Ethan's face. “Hearing aid where?” She signed back to Ethan.

“Can't hear very well,” Ethan said, this time using his voice.

Rivka looked at the two, then turned back to get the breakfast food. “How's he doing?”

Ziva looked up at Rivka and said, “I think his hearing might be going. Just got to keep an eye on it.” Ziva glanced at Tony, then looked back at Ethan. “Get your hearing aid after breakfast, we will look at it,” she signed to Ethan.

Ethan nodded as the rest of the kids filed into the room. Ethan quickly grabbed the chair next to Ziva and sat in it. No way was he giving up his prized spot next to Ima. Ziva chuckled.

After breakfast was over, the boys went outside to play in the treehouse, except for Ethan, who got his hearing aid and brought it back to Ziva. Becky had gone off to the backyard to do some painting.

Ziva took the hearing aid from Ethan and turned it on. Shrill feedback came from the hearing aid and she turned it off. She raised her eyebrows. “Hm, seems to work well enough.”

“Battery, maybe?” Tony asked.

Ziva nodded. “Entirely possible. But I changed it the other day.” She was slightly puzzled. Usually, batteries lasted him almost a full week.

Tony looked at Ethan. “You turning up the volume on the hearing aid?” He pointed his thumb toward the ceiling and moved his hand upward, then pointed to his ear.

Ethan nodded. “I keep going up and up and I still can't hear very well, in this ear. The other ear is fine, but a little weird sounding.”

Rivka turned her head. “Oh, no.” Her face was full of concern.

“Hearing aid not working right, maybe?” Ziva asked Ethan.

Ethan shrugged. “It was fine yesterday. Woke up and it sounded weird so I took it out.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Hm. We'll get the hearing aids looked at when we go back to the states.”

Ethan nodded and smiled. “'Kay. I'll go deaf for the time being?” He giggled.

Tony's face deflated, but only momentarily. His face suddenly brightened. “Oh, so we can be able to spill all our darkest secrets in front of you and you'd not hear a thing?” He smiled.

Ziva laughed and popped Tony on the arm. “Oh, be nice!”

Ethan piped up. “Don't forget, I can read lips also.”

Tony guffawed. “Oh, you got me there.”

Ziva applauded Ethan. “You wracked his mind good. He forgot you could also read lips.” She signed to Ethan while voicing.

Ethan giggled, then made a beeline for the backyard. Tony caught up with him and patted his shoulder, walking with him out the back door.

As Tony stepped out onto the deck, he noticed that Tali had decided to lounge in the backyard under the awning, perusing her laptop.

“Oh, didn't see you there for a sec.” Tali looked up from her laptop. She blinked, looking at Tony, who stood, looking off into the distance, contemplating things, watching Ethan play. She set her laptop aside and got up and walked closer to him. “Dad, are you alright?” Tali tilted her head at Tony, grins gently.

Tony turned around toward Tali, “Oh, just thinking about things. Decisions to make, new challenges.” Tony sighed gently, then looked at Tali and smiled. “Glad we came out here so we could recharge ourselves before school season starts.”

Tali nodded as she pondered over things that she had been thinking about. “Oh, definitely. The vacation sure helped us all.” Tali looked at Tony. “Thanks.”

Tony looked back at Tali. “I'd do anything for you, to make sure you were okay. You really like it here, don't you?” Tony pointed back towards the garden. “Your handiwork?”

Tali chuckled softly, blushing slightly. “Yeah, Savta taught me a lot. Ima, too.” She giggled a bit. “I think I'm turning into a regular green thumb.”

“Looks awesome, that garden. Somehow, very meditative. Sort of a Zen quality to it.” Tony nodded with an appreciative look on his face.

Tali smiled. “Thanks. It helps me to relax.”

“So, did Ima teach you the Zen part or did Savta?” Tony smiled. He suddenly felt a presence behind him. His face changed. “Ima behind me?”

Tali giggled. “Why don't you turn around and see if a ghost is behind you?”

Tony chuckled. He made a show of slowly turning around, half expecting a pop on the back of his head, but getting none. Pure instinct drove his actions. He turned to face Ziva.

Ziva giggles as she stood behind Tony. “I was going to sneak up and give you a good scare, but I stopped myself. The look on Tali's face? Priceless.” Ziva chuckled, grabbing Tony's shoulders and bringing him into her before planting a kiss on his lips.

“Oh, you two, get a room,” Tali chuckled, shaking her head as she turned and walked away to admire Becky's artwork.

Tony chuckled. “Room? Room? We don' need no steenkin' room!” He called out after Tali, which earned him a chuckle from her as she continued walking and a hand wave.

Ziva laughed. “So, Tali?” She asked Tony in an undertone.

Tony smiled. “She seems to really like it here.” He shook his head slightly and let out a short chuckle. “After all, it would only seem natural that where ever a person's conceived would become that person's favorite place to call their own.”

Ziva looked at Tony incredulously, then let out a laugh. “Only you would say that.” Her face changed suddenly to a more serious look. “Well, you should know Tali's been an outstanding student in gardening.”

Tony nodded. “I could see that. Well on her way to winning first price of the Better Homes and Garden's “Best Front Lawn of America”, by the looks of things.”

Ziva shook her head and smiled at Tony. He sure was laying it on thick. “We had a conversation. Me, Tali, Ima, Becky. We were tending to garden, over there, the other day, while you took the boys out on the camping outing.”

Tony looked at Ziva. “Oh yeah? What'd you talk about?”

“Did Tali ever bring up the idea of her staying here to you?” Ziva asked.

Tony shook his head slowly. “Only that she really likes it here. And the way she looked when she said it, made me believe her. Like she _really_ loves it here.”

Ziva nodded. “Well, it came up in the conversation. I think she wants to stay here. With Ima.”

Tony looked up. “Oh? She didn't say that to me.” Tony was on the defensive, but not so much that he shut the idea down outright. He thought about it for a few seconds. “I don't like the idea, but I've got to tell myself she's old enough now, and she can handle herself now.” He looked over to Tali. “Seems like it was only yesterday they were handing Tali over to me. Where had all that time gone?” He muttered to himself, reflecting over all the years that had passed.

Ziva let out a short chuckle. “Tell me about it. One moment I'm holding Tali, just freshly born. The next, here comes Tali, a young woman.” She nodded toward Tali, who was making a beeline toward them.

As Tali walked up the steps, Tony looked her way and called out, “Oh Tali, come here.” He held out a hand, beckoning her toward him.

“Okay.” Tali walked over to Tony and Ziva. “What's on your minds?” She looked at both of them.

“Let's walk over there.” The trio walked toward to the olive grove. Once they walked past the trees, they heard many birds trilling and singing, filling the air with their songs. They reached a small clearing where a newly-remodeled gazebo stood.

“Oh, wow, that looks nice!” Tali gasped in surprise. She knew that Tony had been doing some work on the gazebo, but was awed by how well it had turned out. It had a character that really shone through in the renovations; it fit the olive grove perfectly.

As they entered the gazebo, Tony and Ziva sat on the bench swing while Tali sat on one of chairs nearby. Ziva looked around the gazebo. “I agree. Looks awesome. You guys did a wonderful job.” She smiled and patted Tony's lap. She looked down near the doorway and chuckled. “And those hand prints in the concrete.”

Tony looked at the entryway where off to the side and near the wall were handprints embedded in the concrete of the gazebo. Above it on the wall was written “The Lucky Seven”, with the signatures of the entire family. “Yeah, I'm happy with how that turned out.”

Ziva nodded. “Even better in execution than how I envisioned it.” She looked at another section of the gazebo wall, where there were a series of shallowly-cut carvings in the wall. Looking closer, she recognized the Hebrew characters spelling out her name and her sister Tali's. Suddenly, a flood of memories came rushing into her mind, images of her parents talking with a couple, haggling over land prices, her and her sister playing in the olive grove while Eli sat out on the porch and laughed at them having fun. “Oh! Even the names are there.” She gasped.

“Yeah, when I was cleaning up and restoring this thing here, I found those, thought it'd be nice to, y'know, take the best parts and keep 'em. Like those names. Add our own touch to it as well.” Tony smiled at Ziva. “Pretty nice, huh?”

Ziva turned to Tony. “I've got to say, you've really outdid yourself this time.” She smiled.

Tony chuckled. “Well, of course, I had a little help along the way as you can see.”

A tear threatened to leak out of one of her eyes. As she thought about the memories, she started thinking about how things had changed over time, from when she had left the Mossad, to when she met Tony. How she ended up having to start a family under the most unusual and extreme of circumstances. She looked at Tali, a slide-show of memories connected with Tali growing up, how her life had been borne of fire, reshaped and forged her into this marvelous woman that is her eldest daughter. After a moment, she asked, “What are your plans, Tali?”

Tali nodded. “I've been thinking about some things, and I feel really comfortable here. I mean, living here.”

Tony tilted his head. “Oh, don't like the states as much now?” But he was smiling at Tali because he was joshing with her.

Tali laughed. “No. Yes, well, no. The politics I can do without. But no, that's not it. It's... peaceful here. Plus Savta's mentioned something about she's ready to settle here in Israel, right Ima?” She looked over at Ziva.

Ziva flicked an upraised finger in the air. “That's another thing I forgot to mention earlier. That also came up in our gardening time. The idea of Ima settling down.”

Tony sat up a little straighter. “Oh, okay, that's not so bad. I'm listening.”

Tali nodded. “So, the idea is I live with Savta, help around whenever she needs. I want to spend a gap year, anyway. You know, things are still a little fresh for me at times.” Tali glanced at both of them, looking for understanding.

Ziva got it a little better than Tony. She nodded. “Totally understandable. I think spending time here, with Savta, would do you wonders. You know you can always contact us if you need anything.” She smiled at Tali.

“Yup.” Tali nodded. “We'll keep in touch through email, and we've always got social media and texting.” She smiled at Tony and Ziva.

Tony smiled at Tali. “I think that sounds like a good idea, don't you?” He looked at Ziva, who nodded with her eyebrows raised in expectation, a small smile on her lips. The sounds of voices nearby from the olive grove filtered to his ears, and he turned around to the sound. “I guess I better go find the others.” Tony chuckled at the sounds of kids playing and running, and he caught a glimpse of AJ running with Ethan while Becky and Adam chased them in a game of It.

Ziva looked up at Tony. “Oh yeah, you don't really have to go far to find them. I'll just sit here with Tali enjoying the peace and quiet.” She smiled at Tony.

Tony guffawed as he left the gazebo. A few steps away, he hollered out, “Here comes King Kong!” He stomped around the grove, bringing out peals of laughter and squeals of excitement as they played It and tried to stay away from the King Kong.

Tali and Ziva looked at each other, then back at Tony and the kids traipsing around the olive grove. They both laughed at the sight of the kids having a ball with Tony. Ziva turned to Tali. “Your father's amazing. I would not have known what to do without him.” Ziva smiled gently.

“Oh yeah, Dad's been handling things good ever since... well, everything. But every time I look at him, it's like he's become stronger. Better at things.”

Ziva nodded and smiled. “Oh yeah, I agree. The test of time has taught him well, I think. You can tell by how much patience he's had with you kids, especially Ethan.” Ziva paused as she heard the kids screaming. She quickly stood up to see what was happening. She saw Tony on the ground, with the kids dogpiled on top of his back, laughing and having a ball. Ziva hollered at the kids, “Hey, kids, don't break your Dad's back, now!” Ziva was laughing, but deep down, she still had a bit of concern; Tony wasn't that young anymore.

Tony held up a thumb. “I'm good!” His voice was somewhat muffled by the kids piled on top of him. “Get up offa me for a second,” he said to the kids.

The kids laughed, then AJ piped up. “We hunted King Kong down, Ima!”

Becky and Adam almost at the same time said, “We got the King Kong!” They jumped up, laughing and pointing at Tony.

Ethan untangled himself from the dog pile and got up, laughing.

Ziva chuckled. “You kids take it easy with Dad, alright? I still need him in one piece.”

Adam laughed. “We'll be good!” He reached out and joshed Tony a bit, giggling.

Tony chuckled. “Hey, hey, hold up a sec.” He patted Adam on the head, and Adam stopped but continued smiling. He looked back up at Ziva. “It's all good. Kids had fun, anyway, with me pretending to be King Kong swatting planes out of the sky.”

Tali chuckled. “Ima, you are right. Dad's still a kid at heart. Doesn't let anything slow him down.”

Ziva smiled. “Nope, he doesn't.” She shifted her position in the swing and the smile faded from her face. “Alright, Tali, here's the thing. Since you are staying here with Savta, will you be ok with someone to be around to check on you guys occasionally, a groundskeeper?”

“Oh, we have a groundskeeper? I didn't know that.” Tali was slightly taken aback.

Ziva composed herself. It was time, she told herself. “Some explanation is in order here. He actually works for the Mossad. You see, your grandfather Eli worked for the Mossad. While he worked there, he bought this property, with the intent of it being a gift to Savta. Things happened, and it sat unused, an unfinished project. When he passed away, he had left this property to me. Here, in this very spot, you were conceived.”

Tali let out a short chuckle. “Oh Ima, spare me the details.” Ziva laughed along with Tali. She then changed the subject. “Sure, I wouldn't mind having this... groundskeeper... come over. Just to check on us, make sure we're okay, right?”

Ziva smiled and nodded. “I have contacts within the Mossad as well. You can put your trust in them. If there's a problem, you can contact me. Or they will contact me, either way.”

Tony walked back up the steps at that moment. The distant sounds of the kids playing near the house floated toward the gazebo. “Ah, yes, Tali, you know we always got your six. When you're out there, you do your best to be the best person you can be. I am proud of what you've become. You've turned out to be a fine young woman.”

Ziva walked next to Tony and held onto his arm. She glanced up at Tony then looked back at Tali. “Your father's right. We've got your six, always. We love you, always.”

Tali smiled at them both. “Thank you for being there for me.” She went over and hugged them tightly.

~~Tiva~~

In July 2035, at their Rose Hill home, Ziva and Tony were sitting on the couch together, on their laptops, perusing various subjects. Ziva looked up out the window; the children were outside doing various activities. She caught sight of one of the boys riding their bicycle up and down the street, and Becky doing one of her oil paintings. She smiled, then went back to her laptop.

“Nice quiet day, isn't it?” Tony muttered from his laptop, talking toward Ziva.

Ziva did not immediately respond. Tony looked over at Ziva. She seemed absorbed in thought. “What's on your mind?”

“Huh, what?” Ziva snapped out of her focus and looked up at Tony. “Oh. A lot of things. Mainly Ethan.”

Tony nodded a couple of times. “Oh, yeah. I've noticed something going with him, like he's been really struggling in school these past few weeks.”

“That's it. I'm concerned about Ethan. I'm almost positive he's losing his hearing. Think about it, the past three years, we've had to get two or three hearing aid changes already. You know, I think the next step we may have to consider for him is a cochlear implant.”

Tony blinked. “Huh? Cochlear implant? Did, uh, what's his name, Huber? Did he say something about that?”

Ziva shook her head. “No, but I think I'm going to bring this up with him because I've noticed him struggling more and more. Plus, take a look at this.” She opened up an email on her laptop and swung it around for Tony to see. “This came from the school counselor. She mentioned something about cochlear implants, so I did some research.”

Tony took the laptop and fished for his reading glasses and quickly scanned the email. “A school counselor said something about it, eh? Hm. What'd you find in your research?”

Ziva took her laptop back. “Well, it seems that we have three companies here in the states making cochlear implants.” She listed out the names of the manufacturers, bringing them up on their respective websites. “Each of them have their differing systems, and as such, work with their own product lines. But the underlying principle is pretty much exactly the same: the specialist performs a surgery and inserts an electrode array or fiber array, depending on their technology, into the cochlea. Then, we have some sort of electronics package with a receiver that works with the external part.”

Tony scratched his head. “Huh, so there's two parts to the whole system, one internal and one external? How's that work?”

Ziva smiled. “It's the external sound processor part. The technical part I had to consult with McGee with, he knows the engineering part of it all.” She laughed. “Anyway, how it works, is the sound processor does three things: processes the incoming sound into digital format, provide power to the internal part, and then transmit that digital format from the sound processor to the implant.”

“Does it come with a communications dish also?” Tony chuckled.

Ziva laughed out loud. “That's a good one. No, but you _can_ stream to them with Bluetooth, or with the TV Connector that they supply.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like he's going to be a regular Star Trek cyborg, huh? Did you talk to Ethan about this yet?”

Ziva chuckled. “No, I thought I'd talk with you first, before we all talked with Dr. Huber with Ethan there.” She smiled and tilted her head. “You know, let Ethan be the informed customer here as well.”

Tony looked up at Ziva and smiled. “Sounds like a good idea. Whatever happens to our son, we're gonna be there for him. Wait, will he need this in both ears?” Tony's face showed the slightest bit of concern.

Ziva nodded with a chuckle, “That's for Dr. Huber to determine, but I think one ear for right now.”

Tony smiled and tilted his head and leaned closer to Ziva. He then put around his arm around Ziva. “What about his schooling? He's not been doing so hot with it. Glad we started trying the online schooling, he's started to pick it up. Too soon to tell right now, though, only been a couple weeks.”

Ziva nodded. “Will make things easier as well, when it comes time for the actual thing,” she said, referring to the cochlear implant. “He can do the online schooling while healing up from the surgery.”

“Well, that's assuming that he's met all the criteria for an implant.” Tony raised an eyebrow and held up a raised finger.

Ziva clicked her tongue. “Thus the reason for seeing Dr. Huber. We shall take things as they come.”

Tony set his laptop aside and edged closer to Ziva. “And how soon do we see him?”

Ziva closed her laptop and set it on the end table and turned to Tony. “I've got an appointment lined up for him a couple days down the road.”

“Oh, good. One less problem to worry about, or I should say, one more item checked off our ongoing and ever growing list.” He smiled and goosed her in a special place that he knew would set her off.

Ziva let out a squeal and chuckled at him. “Tony, the kids! What will they -”

Tony didn't let her finish her sentence. He gave her a full-on kiss and embraced her on the couch. Just then, they heard the sound of their children walking. They broke the kiss and sat back, smiling at each other.

“Oh Ima! Dad! Get a room!” Fourteen-year old Becky said in mock disgust as she walked into the room.

Tony and Ziva looked up at her. Tony quickly and stealthily moved one of the couch throws onto his lap, trying to make it look casual. “Enjoying your painting?”

Ziva giggled slightly. “I'm sorry, your Dad and I was teasing each other, and it was only a kiss. Anyway, what's on your mind, Rebecca Joy?” Ziva asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tony take his laptop and set it on his lap. She chuckled internally, knowing the real reason why Tony had retrieved his laptop.

Becky giggled at her parents as she walked to sit on the recliner, looking at Tony, then at Ziva. “Ima, I was wondering when will Tali and Savta coming since we're not going out to Israel for the summer?” Becky had always looked forward to this family tradition every summer.

Ziva looked at Becky. “You know, she mentioned something about coming over, but didn't say when. It's all been up in the air. Ever since we got back from Israel three years ago, a lot of things have been popping up. Most recent of all Grandpa Gibbs' heart attack. Helping McGee out with Gibbs.” She sighed. “Gibbs has not been the same since then, has he, Tony?”

Tony shook his head slowly. “Slowed down a lot. He's not been to his basement much these past few weeks. He still tries, though, when he has one of his better days.”

Ziva turned back to Becky. “So, you see. We keep him going the best we can. Every time we go over, he's happy to see us.”

Becky smiled gently. “That is true, I am glad we all get to spend time with Grandpa Gibbs and help Uncle Tim out. So you have no idea when they'll come over from Israel?”

Ziva and Tony glanced at each other, then back at Becky. They were careful to keep their facial expressions neutral, for they actually knew when Tali and Rivka were coming, but wanted to keep it a secret to surprise everyone, knowing it would make their day. Ziva shrugged and raised her eyebrows. “I've no idea when they'll be able to come. Tali mentioned something about them being very busy at this time of year. Something about her having a real estate job?”

Becky raised her eyebrow. “Oh? That sounds interesting. Sounds like she's doing good?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, she said something about trying to work out a commercial deal or something. I dunno. Just glad she's doing very well over there. Sounds happy.”

Becky nodded, “Alright sounds good, I guess I will go back to what I was doing.” She got up and walked toward the living room door, then looked back at Tony and Ziva. “Behave, both of you.” She then walked away with a chuckle.

Tony looked at the doorway, then back at Ziva. “She telling us to _behave_? Did she somehow channel Tali?”

Ziva laughed and clapped her hands together gently. “I can't wait to have her in my arms, I sure do miss her. It'll be great to finally see her face to face, rather than communicating only through email or video messaging.”

“It'll be wonderful to see the look on the kids' faces when they see your Ima and Tali walk through that doorway.” Tony chuckled, pointing his finger in the air.

Ziva chuckled. “Oh, definitely. It'll be worth the price of admission.”

Tony laughed. Just then, fifteen-year-old AJ walked into the room to sit on the same recliner that Becky had vacated moments earlier. He had his head down, looking at his phone, not realizing Tony and Ziva were looking at AJ. After a moment, AJ glanced up at them as he put his phone away. “I was just talking with a friend, about tonight's astronomy club meeting. He needed some help with the wording. Mind if I went tonight?” AJ tilted his head questioningly.

Ziva's face brightened. “That's right, I totally forgot about the club. Your friends going also?” Ziva smiled as she looked into AJ's face. _He sure was getting fascinated with the stars_ , she thought to herself.

AJ nodded. “And some of them are bringing their parents over, as well. Speaking of which, can Dad go with me?” AJ looked at Tony and Ziva, with a slightly pleading look on his face.

Ziva raised her eyebrows, “Well, I don't see why not. Your dad can take you and your brothers to the astronomy club thing tonight. While you guys are gone I can spend some time with Becky.” Ziva offered as an idea. She knew that Tony loved to spend quality time with the boys outdoors.

AJ let out a small grunt. “But I was hoping just me and Dad together, you know.” He looked up at Ziva with a small scowl on his face and sighed. “Spend time alone with him.”

“AJ, I do understand you want your time alone with your Dad, but they are your brothers also.” Ziva crouched next to him. “Look. They tend to do their own thing, right? But they also have some interest in astronomy. Don't they?” She tilted her head and smiled as she raised her eyebrows a bit.

AJ nodded. “Next time, I go alone with Dad?”

Tony chuckled. “Sure, that sounds good. I promise, next time, buddy.” Tony patted AJ on the shoulder. “Next time for sure.”

Ziva smiled. “Keep in mind, they mostly do their own thing anyway. Adam's good with keeping Ethan engaged. Since Ethan's hearing aids seem to not be working anymore, he has to rely on his eyes a lot more now. Give him a break, let him enjoy astronomy with you.”

AJ smiled at Ziva, “Alright, I'll do that. You'll find a way to help Ethan hear?”

Ziva nodded. “We've got a doctor's appointment lined up for him. Won't be long.”

AJ nodded. “Sounds good.”

Tony looked at AJ, “We'll be ready to head out after dinner. Let Ima and Becky do their thing.”

“Thanks. I'll let my friends know.” AJ got up from the recliner with a smile on his face. As he headed toward the doorway, the twins walked into the room. AJ signed something to the twins that Tony and Ziva didn't catch, then as they passed him, he turned around and gave them a playful headslap, then ran out of the room. The twins laughed and gave chase to AJ.

A few days later, Tony was standing out on the porch, looking out over the yard at the sun just peeking out over the horizon, watching out for their arrival. Ziva started the coffee brewing, then walked out of the door to stand by Tony. “I am so excited to see them when they come here. Oh, the look on their faces when they see Tali!” She let out a small chuckle. “And all this time she's been telling them she can't come right now, that she's been real busy, in her emails.”

Tony nodded with a chuckle, “Oh yeah, Tali's become a mastermind at throwing people's minds for a loop. Always been good that way.” He still remembered that time she turned his logic against him in a humorous way when she was six.

Ziva chuckled. “Oh yeah, I remember that.” Ziva caught sight of headlights coming up the driveway. “Oh I think they're here.” She smiled, and she recognized the two figures in the car. “Yes, it's them. I better get the coffee ready.” Ziva winked her eye at Tony and smiled, then went back in the house.

In the kitchen, Ziva was pouring out the coffee, and as she did so, she listened to the voices drifting toward the kitchen. There was delight in Tony's voice as he welcomed Tali and Rivka into the living room. Ziva smiled as she thought to herself, _'Oh my, how good it is to hear Tali's voice. And Ima's._ ' She turned to look at the doorway and smiled as they appeared through the doorway. “Oh my Tali! It's so good to see you again.” Ziva walked toward Tali and Rivka with arms outstretched, ready to receive them with open arms. They embraced each other in a tight hug.

Rivka laughed. “Oh, it's so good to see you as well, Ziva. You look good!” She looked at Ziva and smiled.

Tali nodded, hugging Ziva tight. “Good to see you too. It's been awhile, I know.” Tali chuckled.

Ziva had happy tears in her eyes. To see how grown Tali had become lifted Ziva's heart greatly. “Oh, Ima! You look good too!” Ziva turned to Rivka. “I'm happy to see you here. Good flight, I take it?”

Rivka nodded. “Long, but yes. Flying first class has its benefits.” She smiled. El Al had some of the best first-class suites in their latest aircraft. Besides which, flying had become a much better experience in these recent years, now taking less time to fly halfway around the world.

Ziva smiled. “That's good to hear.”

Tali looked around for a moment, then looked at Tony with a smile on her face. “The kids?”

Tony pointed a finger up at the ceiling. “They're sleeping right now. Go on up and surprise 'em.” He let out a small chuckle. “This'll be good.”

Tali nodded with a smile, then turned and went upstairs.

Ziva smiled and took a sip of her coffee.

Tony said “Three... two....” All of a sudden, he heard an excited “Tali!” then a sudden outburst of excitement as the rest of the kids woke up realizing that Tali was home. He laughed out loud, and Ziva and Rivka joined in.

“Oh, that never gets old.” Tony laughed.

Ziva laughed. “No matter how old we get, that never gets old, hearing the kids happy. And you, Ima! Never letting life stop you.” She smiled at Rivka and hugged her briefly.

Rivka smiled. “Eighty years old and still going strong, enjoying life. I miss all of my babies.” Rivka smiled, patting Ziva's shoulder.

Ziva chuckled gently, “Yeah, and me being fifty-three?” She scoffed and waved a hand. “Just a number. I don't feel that old. Yet. I feel great, the kids keep me going all the time. Those self-meditation routines that I do doesn't hurt, either.”

Tony looked at Ziva, then spoke up, “Self-meditation, you mean.” He chuckled slightly at Ziva, who backhanded his arm playfully and laughed at him. He turned to Rivka. “Yup. Sixty-four isn't the same as forty-six, but still, Ziva keeps me young. Alive.” He looked at Ziva smiling at him, and he smiled at her.

About a month and half later, as the entire family sat in the waiting room of Dr. Huber's office, Tali got a text message on her phone. She smiled as she sent a reply to the person.

“Who's that?” Ziva looked at Tali. She had caught part of the text message. It had been asking Tali how she was doing.

Tali turned to Ziva next to her. “Oh, that's Ben. I met him in Israel.” She smiled. “He's really nice.”

Before either Tony or Ziva answered, the door to the doctor's office opened and Dr. Huber stepped out into the waiting room. “Ethan? You wanna come back with me now?”

Ethan's face brightened. “I'm ready!” He hopped up with a smile on his face.

“Let me tell you, your young man did really well healing up from the surgery. I'm impressed with how quickly he bounced back from it.” Dr. Huber waved Ethan and the rest of the family back into the office. “Ready to get your ears turned on? Now, we have one cochlear implant, and the new hearing aid ready for the other ear.”

Ziva nodded. “That's right. He's been talking about how much he's been looking forward to hearing again. I can only imagine.” She smiled, looking at Ethan.

The other kids were looking on expectantly. Dr. Huber waved them all into a conference room next to his office. “Wait here a second, let me go get the stuff for Ethan and get it all set up.” He left the room.

The kids settled in around the conference table. Rivka spoke up first. “Oh, it'll be so exciting for him to hear again after all these years.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, what good those hearing aids did over the years. At least we have help, and the technology available, and that we can restore a sense.”

Ziva nodded. She looked up as Dr. Huber entered the room with a cart with a laptop computer and the programming interfaces. On the lower shelf was all of Ethan's hearing equipment. “Oh, look, here he is.” She straightened herself and faced Dr. Huber.

Dr. Huber smiled at Ethan. “You ready, my little man?” He turned on the laptop and laid out Ethan's sound processors and hearing aid and brought up the audiograms.

“Yup!” Ethan watched as Dr. Huber's computer booted up and the programming software opened up on the screen. “So, this is how you program me?” He pointed toward the screen.

Dr. Huber nodded, then turned to face Ethan. “Yup, or more exactly, your hearing aid and sound processors. Then the actual maps get fed into the implant itself.”

“Thus, the reason why it's called 'mapping' every time Ethan has to come in for a tune-up?” Dr. Huber turned to Ziva. “And today is activation, just turning it on?” Ziva raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, that's correct, this will be the first program map he receives. Takes time for the cochlea and brain to acclimate to this new way of hearing. Bypasses all of the eardrum, stirrups, hammer mechanism and the hair cells.” Dr. Huber took out a sound processor and connected the headpiece, then set it on Ethan's left ear. “Okay, that fit looks good, now let me hook up the programming cable.” He removed the sound processor, then connected the cable to the bottom of it, then put it back on Ethan's ear. “Now, you ready?”

Ethan nodded. “Ready as I can be.”

The other kids huddled closer to the table, watching the entire process. Rivka was smiling. Tony turned to Ziva. “Certainly a different process than with hearing aids, where they stick you in a booth first.”

Dr. Huber nodded. “Right, we start off with the tones on the different electrodes or groups of electrodes, and I want you to tell me when you get to the loud but comfortable range, right around a six.” He pulled out a chart that had the different loudness levels on it, from zero to nine. “Don't wanna go over the limit there.”

Ethan smiled and nodded. “Got you.”

“Okay, here we go.” Dr. Huber started the tones, and the first time Ethan was startled slightly.

“Oh! Sound! I heard that!” Ethan's face lit up after a moment. “Turn it up a bit.”

“Oh, there we go.” Dr. Huber smiled and adjusted the electrode response upwards a little. “How's that?”

“Oh, almost there.” And so the process continued for the other electrodes, until they were all at a loud-but-comfortable level.

“Okay, now we've got you established for the first time, let's load this map, and your sound processor will turn itself off then on again and you should hear sound. Ready?” He looked at Ethan, who was smiling.

“Okay, it just turned off.” He heard the sound processor turn off, then heard the initialization sounds as the sound processor powered itself up. All of a sudden, his left ear came alive with sound. He gasped and looked around, hearing all the different sounds.

“Oh!” Ziva smiled and tears started flowing from her eyes. “Can you hear me now?” Ziva asked, in Hebrew.

Ethan turned to Ziva. “Yes, Ima,” he replied in Hebrew. He reached over and hugged Ziva.

“Now we can carry on a normal conversation, more or less?” Tony let out a slight chuckle. “How well will he hear compared with the hearing aids, I wonder?” Tony was fascinated with the whole thing. He didn't have as much confidence with hearing aids anymore because they had failed Ethan previously.

“Dad, I can already hear you better than the hearing aids. You sound like you breathed in a lot of helium, though, every one of you.” Ethan imitated their voices, sounding Mickey-Mouse-ish.

Everyone broke out in laughter. “A normal side effect. It's his cochlea waking up from a long slumber.” Dr. Huber smiled. “Happens a lot when people get activated for the first time. It'll settle down with future mappings.”

“Wow, I can hear myself now.” Ethan whispered to himself. He lowered his whisper until it was barely audible, and his eyes widened in surprise. “I can hear!” He shouted in excitement.

Dr. Huber chuckled. “We'll give you about a week to get acclimated, then we'll get you set up with more programs for your different environments, get your connectivity features all set up.”

“You mean he'll be able to be listening to his music and nobody'd even know it? Like ninja listening?” Adam piped up.

Tony chuckled. “Ooh, that'd be James Bond level right there.” He held up his arm and pretended to be talking into a wrist mic. “Tango at eleven o-clock, subject programming hearing aid right now.”

Ethan laughed. Ziva popped Tony on the arm with a playful backhanded slap. “Behave now, you.” Ziva smiled.

Dr. Huber smiled at them. “What's nice is that he could use the Roger conference table mic for whatever group sessions or meetings he would need to attend.” He held up a disc-shaped object.

“Oh, cool, looks like a little spaceship!” Becky laughed.

Tony scoffed, but more in laughter. “Why does that remind me of those little UFO spaceships from that movie _'Batteries Not Included'_?”

Dr. Huber laughed. “I get that a lot. You wouldn't believe how many times Sonova gets that comment about the Roger. The kids get a kick out of it. 'Let me go get my spaceship,' they would always say.”

AJ had another thought. “Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.”

Ethan laughed. “I'm now the borg.” He held out his hands like a robot zombie, causing AJ to laugh.

Tali chuckled. “It's so good to see Ethan be able to hear again.”

“Okay, you're all set now. Here's your hearing aid.” Dr. Huber handed it to Ethan, who put it on.

“Oh, wow! Now I can hear in both ears again!” Ethan turned to Tony and Ziva. “Much better now, the old hearing aid was like muddy sounding and not clear.”

Tony smiled. “Awesome, my little man.”

Ziva clapped her hands together gently. “Wonderful, I'm thrilled to hear that.”

“Now, keep in mind, his other ear may need implantation sometime in the future. But for right now, he's fine with the hearing aid. Just keep an eye on that ear as we go along, okay?” Dr. Huber said.

Ziva looked up at him. “Right. That's what I read in my research. Some people are stable with their hearing loss, some are progressive.” She turned to look at Ethan. “But look at him. What a difference, and this is just twenty minutes' time already.” She turned back to Dr. Huber and smiled. “I'm looking forward to the mappings, to see how much improvement he can make. He's been really jumping at the bit looking forward to hearing again. Joining with the family again in conversation and fun.”

Tony nodded. “I can vouch for that. He's been missing his music, so he's been compensating all these months and years by gaming with AJ and Adam. More so with Adam.” He looked toward the kids.

Rivka said, “How technology has come a long way.” She was amazed at how well a piece of technology can so completely restore a sense to a person.

Dr. Huber finished programming the other sound processor and handed it to Ethan. “This one's your waterproof sound processor. You can take a bath with it on, go swimming with it on. Keep hearing sound even if you're totally wet.”

This brought out a loud laugh from Tony. Everyone looked at Tony. “Now I just have to yell at you to make sure you got the right sound processor on before you go into the water.”

Dr. Huber laughed. “The hearing aid is water resistant, as well, but it's still recommended that you take it off before taking a bath or swimming. I'd call it more like 'weather resistant'. I guess the company knows that there are some hard of hearing people who go do extreme sports like snowboarding, dirt biking.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Oh, didn't know that. It'll fit him alright, he sure leads an active lifestyle.”

Tony chuckled slightly. “You can say that again. All those hearing aids that run in terror at the sight of him coming, because they just _know_ that one day they'll end up getting dunked in water or it falls off when it gets knocked out of his ear or something.”

Dr. Huber laughed. He put everything together and into the backpack that carried all of the sound processor related bits and pieces and accessories. He looked up at Ethan. “Alright, you're set, and I'll see you in a couple weeks for the next mapping.”

Ethan smiled and got up. “Thanks, Dr. Huber.” He got his backpack and put it on and walked to Tony and Ziva, who was getting up themselves.

“Alright, ready to head out?” Tony asked everyone.

Voices of “Yes!” sounded from the other kids, and they got up and filed out of the room, smiles on their faces.

The adults filed out of the room last. As they walked behind the kids, they watched as Ethan ran to the front where Adam was. On a whim, Tony tried something. He softly said, “Ethan, you want ice-cream?” The other kids had not heard him clearly.

Ethan stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Yes, ice-cream, Dad! Let's go!” He ran off to their SUV, leaving the kids baffled.

Adam looked back at Tony. “Dad, I didn't hear you ask if we wanted ice-cream!” He looked mock-offended.

Tony guffawed. “Just wanted to see how well he could hear now.”

Ziva shook her head, but smiled. “Here we are.” She hit the unlock button on the key fob and the kids piled into her SUV, with Rivka sitting up front in the passenger seat. Tony got in the driver's seat. Before Ziva got in the car, she watched Ethan, as he stood transfixed, hearing the birds twitter in the distance. She smiled and watched, fascinated, as Ethan turned a full circle slowly, taking in sounds he had not heard in years, rejoicing fully in the experience.

Rivka looked back at Ziva and Ethan. “Wow, so amazing,” she muttered to herself, her voice ethereal-sounding.

“What do you hear?” Ethan turned to see Tali standing by his side. “You hearing the birds in the trees?”

Ethan nodded. “Dogs barking, the birds, even the wind.” He smiled and turned to face the street. “All those cars driving by, they sound more like a roar right now and not actual cars, though.”

Tali smiled. “That's wonderful that you can hear again. Give yourself time, things will become clearer.” She patted him on the back and helped him get in the SUV.

Ziva smiled as she got in after them. ' _Now my dreams have been realized, that Ethan can hear again,'_ she thought to herself. She turned to Tony. “Ready whenever you are.”

“Righty-o.” Tony put the SUV in gear, and they headed off to the ice-cream parlor.

At the ice-cream parlor, the family were seated at two separate tables next to each other: the younger kids at one table, Rivka, Tony, Ziva with Tali at the other table.

“Mm, this is good.” Rivka took another spoonful of her sundae. “Fitting ending to this wonderful day, where Ethan can hear again.” She smiled.

Tony nodded. “Now he can be whole again, as best as technology can offer these days. So wonderful to not see him struggle so much to hear, be so tired at the end of the day from just listening and trying to hear.”

Ziva nodded. “Oh, definitely. And to take part in the family conversations now. Did you see how well he could hear you, all the way down there?”

Tony chuckled. “Now that is a little freaky. We're gonna have to talk in codes, now. Back to our NCIS days.”

Ziva dropped her spoon back into her sundae and laughed. “Oh, it's not that bad. Anyway, I'm sure he'll be listening to his world more. Relearning all the new sounds.”

Tali smiled. “This alone made our trip back worth it. Watching the joy in Ethan's face when Dr. Huber turned it on for the first time.” Just then, a ding sounded from somewhere in Tali's vicinity. Tali looked down at her purse and retrieved her phone.

Ziva looked at Tali, then glanced at her phone. “Friend of yours?”

Tali looked up and blushed slightly. “Someone I met in Israel.” She finished typing out a reply and hit send, then put the phone down on the table.

Tony turned his head toward Tali. “Anybody we know?”

Tali smiled. “His name is Ben. He's really nice. He's one of the groundskeepers that come over every so often.” She took a spoonful of her sundae and ate it.

Ziva raised an eyebrow, then took the spoon out of her mouth, having just taken a bite of her ice-cream. “From Mossad?”

Tali tilted her head. “I'm pretty sure. At least I think so. Funny, it doesn't really show in him.”

Ziva let out a short chuckle. “That's Mossad. You're trained to never be obvious. Any intelligence agency, for that matter.”

Tali raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Well, in any case, I really like him. Savta thinks he's very nice also, don't you?” She turned to Rivka.

Rivka nodded with a smile on her face. “Oh, let me tell you, he's a wonderful man. A big help when I need it.” She leaned over to Ziva and whispered, “I think he's perfect for her.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a nice guy. Not like -”

“Don't even say his name.” Tali cut him off. “I've moved on from that.” _Ding._ She chuckled and picked up her phone and looked at it. “He says hi to everybody.” She put the phone back in her purse.

Before Ziva could say anything, her phone rang. She answered it. “Hello?”

“I've... trying.... hold of... Gibbs...” She heard McGee talking, but her phone kept cutting in and out. She shook her head and got up and walked just outside the store.

“Hm, wonder what's up.” Tony watched her through the windowpane. As he watched her face change, he had a foreboding feeling, and so he got up. “Let me go see what's up,” he said to Tali and Rivka, then walked out to Ziva.

“ - happened? Is he okay?” Tony heard as he stepped around the doorway to Ziva. He raised an eyebrow. Ziva held her hand to her ear shaped like a phone, and mouthed “Your phone?”

“Oh!” Tony silently mouthed, then felt for his phone. When he felt none, he grimaced. “Forgot it at home.” He whispered.

Ziva took the phone from her mouth and said softly, “It's McGee.”

“What's he want?” Tony whispered back.

Ziva listened for a moment, then said, “We'll be there shortly.” She let her hand drop to her chest. She had a graven look on her face.

Tony's face looked like all the screws in it suddenly loosened a couple of turns. “What is it?”

“It's Gibbs.” Ziva swallowed. “We need to go. He asked for us.”

Inside the parlor, the kids were looking through the window at Tony and Ziva. Tali had noticed the change in their expressions. “Something's up,” she said as she turned to Rivka. “I better go and see what's up.” She got up and walked out. “Everything okay?” she asked as she rounded the corner.

Ziva and Tony turned, and saw the kids looking out the window at them. They then turned to Tali. As soon as Tali reached them, Ziva said, “It's your grandpa Gibbs. We need to go now.”


	6. Two Birds With One Stone

September 2035

The sounds of clattering echoed up the basement stairs as Ziva folded laundry in the laundry room at Gibbs's house. Ziva shook her head slightly. She mulled over the last few days and weeks, what had led up to this whole thing. She jumped slightly as more loud clattering sounded from the basement. She sighed and turned her head toward the basement door. “Tony! You alright down there?”

A moment of silence. “Yeah, hon. Box fell apart when I was trying to get it down from the top shelf.” Tony sighed as he brushed the dust off his hands and pants. “Got a new one up there?” He called out.

Ziva looked around. “Not up here, but I think I remember seeing a few in the shed,” Ziva called out toward the basement. She heard the sound of Tony's footsteps ascending the stairs.

“Alright, I'll go look for a couple. Some really ratty old boxes down there. What's he been storing, fossils from the dinosaur era?” Tony shook his head, looking at Ziva. “McGeek's having to clear out a way for himself now.”

McGee came into the room, following Tony moments later. He was covered head to toe in dust. “I tell you, it'd be a whole lot easier if that boat wasn't in the way.”

Ziva chuckled. She looked into the living room, where Gibbs was watching TV. “I could never understand building boats in basements. Just _how_ do you get the boat out from there anyway?”

Tony chuckled. “Biggest question of our life, huh? Anyway, I do agree with McSailor over here that the job would have gone much faster if the boat wasn't down there, taking up a good 75% of the floor real estate that we need to get to those pipes so we could replace 'em.”

“Ah.” Ziva nodded. “Have fun getting those boxes out of the shed. They're behind heavy things.” She winked. She had a photograhic memory from months before when she had caught a glimpse inside the shed one day.

Tony chuckled. “Yeah, right.” But his eyes clicked with Ziva's, and an entire conversation took place between those eyes. Her eyes told him, you think I'm kidding? Go look for yourself. His facial expression changed slightly, almost imperceptibly. He still felt that it wouldn't be such a big chore to get to those boxes, but the look in her eyes told him otherwise. He sighed, then turned toward the back door. “Alright, let's go get those boxes, McGeek.” He patted McGee on the shoulder and guided him out the door toward the shed.

Ziva chuckled and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down, putting a clean kitchen towel down on the table next to her laptop. Just as she sat down, she heard a ding from the laptop. She opened the screen and noticed she got an email from Tali. Before she could open the email, her phone rang. Without thought or even looking, Ziva's hand shot out to the phone that was laying on the table and picked it up. She opened the display and saw Tali's name.

“Hello Tali” Ziva answered her phone, putting her on speaker. She opened the email on her laptop and started reading.

“Hi Ima, how're you doing?” The bright cheery sound of Tali's voice filtered out of the speakerphone.

“Yes, I just sat down, started reading your email. I was going to call you with an update about Grandpa Gibbs. Making sure everything's in order for him, and taking care of what needed to be done.” Ziva sighed. “He can be a stubborn old coot at times, but he's so used to doing things himself.” Ziva chuckled. “Anyway, after this, I will see about us all coming out to visit soon.”

Tali chuckled briefly on the phone. “I'm really looking forward to see you all. How's Grandpa Gibbs been doing these days, besides being stubborn?”

“He just got home last week from the hospital. Was in there three weeks. Sprained his ankle, then had a mild heart attack while in the ER. They ended up putting a pacemaker in him, and kept him longer than normal.” Suddenly, the sound of boxes being thrown into the room reverberated throughout the mudroom area, and she looked up. “That's McGee and Dad, getting boxes. They're reorganizing the basement, and there is a boat in the way.”

“What?! That boat's still there?” Tali laughed out loud. “How's he getting that boat out now?”

Ziva shook her head and chuckled. “You're asking the wrong person here. You'd have to ask Grandpa Gibbs that.” She looked into the living room, then got up from the table and took the phone. “Been helping him around the house. McGee got back in from a short trip with John today.”  
  


“That's good that he's doing better. McGee's helping Dad with the basement reorganization? Good luck keeping Gibbs happy.” Tali chuckled.

McGee called out. “Not to worry. Photographic memory.”

Tony chuckled. “I swear, you are wired to remember every little detail, down to where every object goes in which box. I think a little better than -”

McGee held up a finger. “Don't mention that lab rat's name.”

Tony jumped in. “Lab _squirrel_ , you mean?” Tony held up his hands together as if he was a squirrel fussing over an acorn. He turned to the phone. “Remember that, Tali?”

Laughter bubbled up out of the phone. “Oh my gosh, Dad, that was the weirdest person I've ever seen.”

A short laughter from the living room filtered into the kitchen. “What'd I tell you about talking about her?” Everyone looked at Gibbs. But he was laughing. “Gotta admit, that was funny, though.”

“Hey Grandpa Gibbs!” Tali giggled on the speakerphone.

Gibbs got up from his living room chair and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down and poured out a coffee for himself. “Whatcha been up to, Tali?” Gibbs said.

A brief burst of static sounded through the cellphone speaker. “- been doing fine. Just been busy, taking care of Savta. It's quiet here, peaceful. You should come visit one day.”

Gibbs chuckled. “Sounds like a nice place. Might take you up on that offer one day.”

“You get better first. You wanna be in tip-top shape to fly, right?” Tali said over the phone. “From what I hear, you just got out of the hospital.”

“Ohh, it was nothing, just a sprain.” Gibbs chuckled. After a moment, he added. “Okay, yeah, I had a pacemaker put in. I'll be fine.”

Tony said, “Yes, as long as you let us help you while you recover. You stubborn mule, you.” He broke out in a chuckle.

Gibbs looked at Tony. “You're lucky I don't get up and head slap you, now.”

Ziva laughed along with Tali.

The sounds of footsteps and things being put down on a table filtered through the speakerphone. “I've got to go, Ben just got here.” Tali's voice sounded bright and clears through the speaker. “I'll talk to you all later. Love you all.”

Ziva chuckled slightly. “Alright, well, I'll talk to you later. Take care. Much love.”

Tony interjected. “Love you, Tali!” The line went dead.

McGee raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Sounds like she's doing well over there in Israel.”

Tony chuckled softly, “Yeah.” He walked around the table and sat next to Ziva and sighed. “And to meet a guy over there? I find that amazing, actually.”

“Tali sure sounds happy.” Gibbs pointed a finger at the phone, smiling gently.

Ziva nodded and smiled. “Oh yeah. I think she's in love with this guy, Ben. He sounded nice from what I read in the email, and when I heard him in the background last time she called.” She looked at Gibbs. “You might want to talk with her some more later.”

Gibbs nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. He set the cup down on the table. “Yeah, I'll call her soon. Be good for her to hear from her grandpa.” He smiled.

Ziva nodded. “Gibbs, do it soon. I think that will make her day.” She tilted her head at Gibbs. “After all, you did give us that scare with your mild heart attack you had in the ER. Face it, you're not the same person from NCIS years ago.”

Gibbs nodded and sighed.

Tony looked at Gibbs, “She's right. We know you like do things yourself. I think you can count yourself fortunate that McGee was coming over to see you anyway when you fell down those stairs. Otherwise that mild heart attack would have become something more serious.”

Gibbs became slightly irritated. “Alright, I was just trying to get the boat done. I just...” He let out a harsh sigh. “Just wanted to get it done in time.”

Tony and Ziva sat there, looking at each other. McGee spoke up. “Why the rush? Some deadline you gotta meet all of a sudden?” He had noticed the difference in Gibbs. It was not like Gibbs to be so concerned about finishing his boat on time; he had always gone at his own pace as a form of meditation for himself.

Gibbs shook his head. “Nope, no deadline. Just wanted to finish, is all. I'm almost there, anyway. Just a few minor details to take care of on the boat.”

Tony looked at Gibbs. “Any chance you'll tell one of us how that boat comes out of the basement?” He smiled.

Gibbs was in the middle of taking a sip of coffee. He slammed the cup on the table and sighed. “Nope. Not gonna tell you how it's done. You guys'll figure it out one day.”

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and had an entire conversation with just their looks. They came to realize that this house was intended to go to whoever figured out the riddle to the puzzle. Tony looked back at Gibbs. “So, out in one piece?”

Gibbs chuckled. “Undamaged. I'll leave it at that. You figure out one piece or many.”

The trio laughed. “Surely it can't be that hard.” McGee raised an eyebrow.

Ziva's face was neutral, but a smile was in her eyes. “Hmm, a riddle. How to get a boat out of a basement.”

Gibbs chuckled. “Let your kids try to figure it out also. Be fun for 'em. Their kids too.”

Tony laughed. He held up a finger in the air and shook it. “I think I see where you're going with this, Gibbster.”

Gibbs laughed. He then sighed gently. “Yeah, so are you guys planning to go out to Israel to see Tali and Rivka?” Gibbs sipped his coffee.

Ziva smiled and nodded. “As soon as everything's in order. Becky and I wanted to go see some of the sights in Israel as well.”

“Yeah, AJ's been really looking forward to it. Out there's primo astronomy skies for him. Not much of that here with all that light pollution.” He glanced at Ziva, then looked back at Gibbs as he took a sip of his own coffee. “Ethan and Adam, you know they're a pair. Ethan doing his videography thing, Adam with his photography. One day, they're gonna get published, mark my words.” Tony chuckled.

Ziva laughed. “I'm looking forward to meeting this Ben guy. He really sounds nice.”

A week later, the entire family flew in to Israel and drove up to the Olive Grove house. Exhausted from the jet lag, they unpacked and settled themselves in to rest for the night without much conversation.

That next morning, after Ziva and Rivka cooked the breakfast, the family all gathered up at the table. Tali sat down by Ziva, while Tony sat by Ziva. The rest of kids took their places at the table around them and Rivka.

“Mm, good breakfast.” Tony took a forkful of eggs and took a bite.

Rivka smiled. “Thanks. Good start to the day when you have a good breakfast, right?”

Tali smiled and looked at Ziva as dug out a biteful of her eggs and ate it. As she put her fork down, she turned over some thoughts in her head, pondering how she would break the news to her mother and father. After a few moments, she said, “Ima, Dad, when would you guys like to meet Ben?”

Ziva paused mid-bite. She raised her eyebrow. She swallowed her food. “I wouldn't mind meeting him tonight for dinner, and his parents too if he's up to it. If it's alright with you.” She smiled.

Tali's face brightened in a smile. “I've been looking forward to introducing him to you. He might bring his mother over with him as well. His dad died years ago.”

Ziva raised her eyebrow. “Sorry to hear about his dad.” Ziva glanced at Tony, who shrugged and smiled, as if he was okay with it. She looked back at Tali. “Let's invite Ben and his mother over for dinner this evening.” Ziva looked up at Tony, “Tony, what you think?” Ziva raised her eyebrow, giving a wink at Tony.

Tony nodded, “Oh yeah, that would be splendid. We've got dinner covered, deal?” He smiled at Tali.

  
“Great.” Tali smiled and got up from the table to call Ben to give him the invitation to come for dinner.

That evening, Tony and Ziva was in the living room sitting with Tali in conversation. Various sounds filtered to their ears: that of the boys in the media room playing video games; sounds of cooking were Rivka and Becky worked together to prepare dinner.

“Oh, Ima, ever since I've moved out here everything's been wonderful. I'm almost set to publish a book.” Tali smiled. “Well, actually, more like a blog than a book.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Oh? That how the writers are doing books these days?” She laughed. “No more pen and ink?”

Tali laughed. “Right, times do change. Nowadays it's all digital. Type a story and it's there for the world to see instantaneously. No publisher clearing house to deal with anymore, no having to go through the likes of _Simon and Schuster,_ or something like that _._ ”

Just then, the doorbell rang. “Oh, that's gotta be them.” Tali got up from the recliner chair and walked to open the door. “Hey Hi Ben, hi Katrina, please come in.” Tali's face perked up in a smile as she held Ben's hand, looking at him before looking at Tony and Ziva.

Tony and Ziva stood up, walked toward the trio. Tali spoke up. “Ima, Dad, this is Benjamin Eschel, and his mother, Katrina Eschel.” Tali was pointing finger at them, looking at Ziva and Tony.

Tony raised his eyebrow, gave them a handshake, “Nice to meet you two. I'm Tony DiNozzo, and this is my wife, Ziva -”

Katrina cut him off. “I know Ziva David.”

Ziva gasped softly, looking at Katrina. Puzzled, both Tali and Ben looked at Katrina, then at Ziva, then back at Katrina.

Tony became slightly defensive toward Katrina. “How so?” Tony then looked at Ziva. “Ziva, do you know her?”

Ziva looked at Katrina, then back at Tony. “No. I don't know her.” She looked back at Katrina and raised an eyebrow. “Yes, David was my maiden name. How do you know me if we've never met?”

Ben looked at his mother, puzzled. “What's going on here, Mom?”

Tali patted Ziva's shoulder, “Ima, what's up here?” Tali shrugged as she looked up at Tony and Ziva, then back at Katrina.

Katrina looked at everyone, realizing everyone was looking at her. She sighed. “I'm sorry if I caught you all off guard. But once I saw you, I realized who you are. Yes, Ben and Tali mentioned your name to me, but I was not sure if it was the same Ziva.” The look on Katrina's face was one of awe. “Not until now, standing in front of you, was I sure this was the same Ziva that Adam told me about.”

Ziva felt her blood run cold with anxiety, and she gasped at the sound of the name. Her face drained of color as her anxiety started ringing shrilly in her ears. “Adam?”

Katrina looked at Ziva. “You knew Adam Eschel?”

Tali had noticed the color drain from Ziva's face, and so she walked to Ima and grasped her shoulders. “Ima, are you alright?” Tali looked concernedly into Ziva's eyes.

Ziva swallowed hard as she looked at Tali. Tali could see the pain in Ziva's eyes as she recalled Adam from years before. “Oh my... Adam was a real dear friend of ours, since before you were born. He was the one who helped us out of danger. He was the one who took us to the safehouse cabin. He was the one who helped deliver you to your Dad.” Ziva looked at Tali, and rubbed her cheek. Then she looked back at Katrina. “Katrina, now I do understand why he did things the way he did. To protect both of us. And you also. He risked his life to protect all of us.” Ziva sniffled as she bit her lips.

Katrina smiled gently, “Oh yes, that's who he was. He loved and cared about all of us.” She looked at Tali and Ben, then back at Ziva. She smiled. “Here, I want to show you something.” Ziva watched as Katrina took something from her purse. “A picture of Ben and Tali when they were real little.” She looked up at Ziva, who was looking at the picture of the two young children. “Taken the day before Adam took Tali away.”

Ziva gasped and smiled as she looked at the picture. “Oh my, so cute! Tali and Ben sitting on the couch next to Adam, him reading a story to them. This so sweet.” Ziva looked up at Katrina, holding back a tear. She then showed it to Tony, looking at him.

“Ah that little Tali and Ben, it looked like Adam knew what he was doing, he sure was a good man.” Tony bit his lip, thinking to himself _how he had not trusted Adam all these years, realizing that Adam was there for Ziva and Tali in her time of extreme need._ He nodded his head. “I'll give him respect for that. He really did come through for you after all.”

Tali went to Tony, “Dad, let me see the picture please?” Tali tilted her head toward Tony.

Tony looked at Tali, “Oh, yeah, here it is. Wasn't long after that picture was taken that you came to me that day.” Tony looked down at Tali, smiling.

Just then, Rivka stepped into the room, followed by the children. “How wonderful of you two to join us! Dinner's served.” She smiled at the newcomers, and welcomed them into the house, and walked to the dining room.

“Ohh, yummy.” Tali smiled. “Come, join us.” She led Ben to the dining room table, and the DiNozzos and Katrina followed closely behind.

A few days later, Tony and the boys were packing things in the SUV preparing for an all-guys camping trip. Ben arrived moments later to pack his things in there.

“Here's your food and drinks.” Tony looked up to see Ziva and Tali walking out of the house, bringing a large cooler of food and drinks to Tony. Tony had been wanting to have a camping trip with the boys, while at the same time getting to know Ben, for a while now. “Now, are you really sure you will be fine with them out there on the hill over there, right?”

“Thanks, hon. Yeah, I think I will be alright.” He looked at the SUV, and at the things that were in the SUV. “I think I got everything we need. I'll keep in touch with you from time to time.” He looked at AJ carefully loading his telescope into the SUV. “Look at him. Never misses a chance to do astronomy while on a camping trip. Loves his stars.”

Ziva looked up at Tony, “That's good for him. Let him explore beyond the world we live on. Maybe he'll become an astronaut one day.” She leaned over to Tony and smooched him.

Tony smiled and hugged her, then looked up at Ben and Tali, noticing them doing the same, hugging and kissing. He let out a short but quiet chuckle. “Ziva, look at our daughter. She's definitely into him.” Tony smiled as he muttered into Ziva's ear.

Ziva looked around, “Ah, obviously Tali's happy with Ben, they look so cute together.” Ziva looked up at Tony, and let out a small chuckle. “Let them be. He's good for her, I feel it.” She had no worries about _this_ one, because of who his father was. Adam never raised bad children, of that she was sure.

“If you say so.” Tony smiled and returned to his packing the SUV up for the trip.

That evening, after they had arrived at their secluded spot up on top of a hill near the Olive Grove home, Tony and the boys unpacked the SUV, then set up the tent and got all the supplies squared away. Then AJ set up his astronomy table where he could reach his astronomy charts. The twins helped AJ get his telescope set up nearby. While the boys did their things, Tony and Ben got the firepit set up to cook some campfire food.

“Ah, yes. Just us guys out here, enjoying the nature.” Tony looked up at the moon as he set up his chair in front of the fire, facing the general direction of the boys.

Ben looked in the direction of the boys, then back at Tony. “They're good kids,” he said, nodding his head toward the boys. “You've got a good family.” Tony could see Ben's lips part in a wide smile in the twilight.

Tony smiled and looked in AJ's direction, noticing how Adam was also enjoying taking part in the impromptu astronomy session. Suddenly, he could see Ethan's face emerge in the circle of red light as he pointed out something on the star chart. He could tell it was Ethan because he could clearly see the sound processor and headpiece on his head, with its glow-in-the-dark Skinits covers. He smiled at himself.

“What's that thing? On his head.” Ben pointed toward Ethan, then looked at Tony, smiling. “That glow in the dark thing.”

Tony let out a chuckle. “One of his favorite skins for his sound processors. He loves the glow-in-the-dark ones a lot.”

Ben continued looking at Ethan and Adam, fascinated. “They talk to each other with their hands?” He had seen Ethan and Adam signing with each other.

“Yup. Ethan's deaf. He's got cochlear implants, that's part of what you're seeing. The internal part is what's taking the information from the sound processors and feeding it to his brain. Cochlea, I mean.” Tony corrected himself.

Ben raised his eyebrows. “And this helps with his deafness?”

Tony laughed. “Watch this.” He turned to face Ethan, and raised his voice slightly. “What are you looking at now, Ethan?”

Ethan took his head away from the eyepiece. “Mars, Dad. Up there, up and to the right of the moon.” Ethan's voice drifted back toward Tony and Ben's ears.

Tony could hear the faint voices of the other boys exclaiming, impressed with how well Ethan had heard Tony call out toward him with just a moderately raised voice, below a yell.

“Impressive! And he was deaf from?” Tony turned to face Ben. “How did he learn how to speak with no hearing?”

“Oh, he had some hearing ability before. Meningitis got his hearing. Hearing aids helped for a while, only to an extent.” Tony sighed, and looked toward Ethan and Adam. “Ever since he got the implants, everything's been uphill for him, the progress he's been making.”

Ben gasped. “Amazing, what technology can do for people these days.” He looked up at the sky. “Where's Mars?”

Tony walked over and knelt down by Ben, looking at him. He then looked up at the sky, picking out Mars amongst the background of space. He pointed into the sky. “See, right there, that red spot over there?”

Ben followed the line of sight down Tony's arm past his finger, and suddenly, the tiny red dot appeared in front of his eyes. “Ah! There it is.”

“Yeah, that's Mars. Looking very bright tonight. That's one of the reasons why we're here. The boys had been wanting to do this for a long time, AJ especially. Like I said, he never misses a chance once he finds out how primo the views were going to be out here.” Tony winked and held up an “A-OK” sign.

Ben tilted his head and twisted his face in a slight puzzled look. “'Primo'? I'm sorry, I haven't heard of that term before?”

Tony let out a short chuckle. “Grade-A. Above excellent, amazing viewing. Not like in the States, where you got horrendous light pollution.”

Ben sighed. “I like this area as well. Very relaxing at nights. Listen to those crickets.” He breathed in the quiet air, the night punctuated only by the occasional soft conversation between the boys, and the occasional chirp of crickets. “Quiet out here tonight. My contacts said this area is safe.”

Tony's head turned around sharply toward Ben. “Mossad?” Tony chuckled at Ben as Ben nodded toward Tony. “I figured as much.”

Ben let out a soft chuckle. “This land is Mossad-protected. There is a directive in place within Mossad, it seems, to protect you – all of you at all costs. Ziva's father seems to have had a lot of influence in this.”

“Right, how could you not when you're director of Mossad?” Tony smiled. “Apparently whatever orders he put in place was binding. Not that I don't appreciate all of this, though.” He ran his hand through his hair. He had flashbacks of Eli's and Ziva's rocky off-and-on relationship as father and daughter because of his loyalty toward the Mossad interfering with his family duties.

“Well, apparently he was a legend back then.” Ben chuckled.

He chuckled. “You could say that. He definitely left his mark on the agency, that's for sure.”

Ben chuckled. “Well. The last time I saw my father was before he left on his mission for Mossad. Never knew the details of it.” He sighed, then changed the subject. “I think my father was right. He told me one day right before he left, that I would find me a nice girl coming from a good family that he cherished and knew. Now, look where I am.” He sighed then smiled. He shifted his position in his chair to look at Tony better. “Tony, I like Tali a lot, and I am in love with her, so is it all good with you that we're together?” Ben looked at Tony with a faint smile on his lips.

Tony looked up at the sky for a moment, closed his eyes for a minute, then looked down at Ben, sighed for a moment as he pointed his finger at Ben. “Yeah, I feel good about you. Not like some guys I've met.”

Ben laughed. “Tali told me a little about that.”

Tony sat up a little straighter. “Did Tali tell you anything about the paper clips?”

Ben looked at Tony, taken aback by this seemingly out of place question. He let out a short chuckle, “No, she hasn't. Paperclips?” He looked at Tony a little more seriously. “I've only heard of people in the Mossad using paperclips, but seriously?”

Tony nodded once, but didn't say anything. Ben could see that Tony was grinning, biting his lip so as to not burst out in an uproarious laughter. He had not believed it himself until he had seen it happen that day in the interrogation room. He could still remember the anguished screams as the paperclips penetrated Colton's skin.

Ben looked at Tony, eyes wide. “Did – uhm, did she use them on her former boyfriend?”

Tony scoffed. “Oh, no, that wouldn't be Tali. Ziva's the one you gotta watch out for. Anybody hurts any one of her kids, that person's gonna disappear.” Tony made an exploding sign with his hands. “Poof!”

Ben grinned. Tony could see that Ben understood fully the significance of this. “So this former boyfriend, he's not...”

Tony laughed. “Oh, no, he's not dead, but I bet he's wishing he's dead right about now. He's going away for a very long time.”

Ben nodded. “Did it teach him anything?”

Tony chuckled, “I don't think he did. Well, his crimes were so horrendous that his own father went in there and finished what Ziva didn't. He smacked him so hard he almost pulled the table with him. Last I heard his left hand's practically useless from the nerve damage when he broke his wrist.”

Ben took a deep breath and let out a long slow breath, nodding his head. He looked back at Tony with a smile. “I will protect Tali, I will do anything for her, I will do my best to be the best man that I can be toward her. That's a promise.”

Tony looked at Ben, seeing the truth in his eyes. He chuckled as he looked toward the boys, “Yeah, you got my approval. No worries about the paper clips as long as you treat my daughter right.” He noticed the boys waving at them, and he waved back. “I think they're trying to tell us something.” Tony got up and walked over to the boys, with Ben following closely behind.

Back at home, Ziva was sitting on her usual side of the reclining couch, while Tali and Becky sat next to her. Rivka was sitting in the other recliner. As the credits started rolling at the end of the movie they had been watching, Becky looked at Ziva. “Good movie, Ima.” She smiled, then yawned. “Ohhh, I'm so tired. Good lasagna. We should do this girls night in more often,” Becky chuckled softly, trying to stifle the tiredness in her, but failing somewhat.

Ziva looked at Becky, patting her back. “We sure had so much fun together. I do agree, the lasagna turned out awesome. I'm stuffed as well.” Ziva chuckled slightly. “If you want, you can go ahead and head on up to bed. We'll be up in a bit.”

Becky nodded. “I'll get some sleep, I guess. See you in the morning.” She got up and walked toward the stairway.

“Good night, sweetie.” Ziva tilted her head and smiled at Becky's retreating figure.

Becky turned and smiled. “Good night, Ima.” She held out the ILY handsign before heading upstairs.

“'Night!” Tali called out after Becky. She then turned to Ziva. “It's good to see Becky happy. Those paintings she did, I think they're awesome.”

“Oh, you noticed her paintings in her room?” Ziva smiled. “She's been painting up a tornado lately.”

Tali chuckled. “Storm.” She corrected Ziva. “Relaxes her, I think. Otherwise she'd go bananas from being around the boys all the time.”

Ziva laughed. 'Tornado, storm, what's the difference?”

Tali gave her a slightly exasperated look. “Ima!”

Ziva smiled and shook her head slightly. “It brings me pleasure to see all of you kids happy.” Ziva looked more intently into Tali's eyes. “You look happy with yourself. Does Ben make you happy?”

“Oh, yes he does.” Tali smiled briefly, then sighed. She wrung her hands together for a moment as she took a breath as she organized her thoughts. “Ima, Ben is everything to me. The first time we met 2 years ago was when he was assigned to security detail by the Mossad of the Olive Grove property. Can you believe how handy he is?”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Oh? He works for the Mossad?”

“The Mossad?” Rivka said, almost simultaneously with Ziva.

Tali looked at both of them, caught slightly off guard, but quickly composed herself. “He said the only thing he does is security and liaison. No field work of any kind.”

“Oh? Not the kind to get his hands dirty?” Ziva asked.

Tali tilted her head. “What do you mean, get his hands dirty?”

Ziva sighed and looked at Rivka. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly.

Rivka nodded her head. “It's okay, go ahead.” When Ziva hesitated, she repeated. “Go ahead, tell her. It's time.”

Ziva sighed internally and nodded. She turned to Tali. “Getting your hands dirty means an assassination job, sanctioned by an agency. In our case, the Mossad.”

Tali laughed, a bit nervously. “Oh, no, not in that way. He does get his hands dirty every so often, fixing stuff up around the house for me and Savta.” She paused, and her expression changed. “Wait, how do you know about this?” She looked more closely at Ziva, then at Rivka. “You worked for them before, didn't you?”

Rivka said, “No,” at the same time Ziva said “Yes.” They both looked at each other, then Ziva went on. “I worked for the Mossad for a while. I started working for NCIS as liaison, and it is there where I became a much better person than I was in the Mossad.”

Tali started to understand. “And that's where you met Dad, at NCIS? Oh, cool!” She looked at Rivka. “Savta? Did you know about the Mossad thing?”

Rivka nodded her head slowly. “Your grandfather, Eli David, worked for the Mossad as well. Your Ima worked under him.”

Tali gasped. “What? He was the head of the Mossad?” Her mouth was agape. “So Ben was telling me the truth.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow.

Tali tilted her head. “Ben brought it up one day. I was a little curious about the history of the agency. He brought up that name, Eli David. I didn't realize it was my grandfather.”

Rivka chuckled. “Yes, that was him. He was... unlike our current director. Brutal, but very efficient. Kept our nation from going to war with other less savory countries.” Rivka sighed. “For what it was worth. At what cost?”

Ziva shook her head. “At what cost, indeed? As long as Ben remains on the good side, I will breathe easy.” She smiled at Tali.

Tali laughed. “Oh, he's not the kind of guy to do the dirty work. The only dirty work he doesn't mind doing is maintenance on the property. He fixed up the gazebo roof last week, did you know that?” She lowered her voice and whispered. “I love that guy.” She waggled her eyebrows and smiled broadly.

This prompted Rivka and Ziva to laughter. Ziva sighed and smiled, looking at Tali. “Well, I think it's obvious. I mean, we can see that you are in love with him. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth and your confidence level in Ben. Any man that treats my daughter like a princess will earn great respect and love from me and Dad.”

Rivka spoke up, “Tali, your Ima is right. I think he's the perfect guy for you. So different from the one who shall not be named.”

Ziva nodded. “You have my blessing to be with Ben.” She smiled and hugged Tali.

Tali returned the hug. “Thank you, Ima. This makes me feel better. I mean, from the moment our eyes met, I just knew.” She smiled. “I think I'll go to bed and talk with Ben before I go sleep.” She tilted her head toward Ziva and smiled. “Just like you do with Dad, right?”.

Ziva nodded with a smile, looking at Tali, “oh yeah, I better let you go talk with him. I thought I might have heard your phone dinging a couple of times earlier.” Ziva waved her hand in the general direction of Tali's phone on the coffee table.

Tali chuckled slightly as she bent over and picked her phone up before getting up. “Thank you Ima, good night, and I love you too.” Tali bent down and hugged Ziva, then Rivka. She stood back up. “Good night, Savta.”

Moments later, as Rivka headed off to bed, Ziva turned down the lights and stretched out in her recliner. She took a few deep breaths, meditating for a moment. About half an hour later as she entered the fully relaxed state that she had been yearning for lately, her phone rang. Her eyes snapped open, looking at the ceiling for a moment. Another ring. She sat up and looked at the phone. Another ring. She saw Tony's name on the display, so she picked it up and answered.

“Hello Tony.”

“Hello, sweetcheeks.” Tony's voice filtered through the speaker into her ear.

Ziva smiled. “How are you and the boys?”

Ziva heard Tony chuckle slightly. “Ah, just chilling out here and was chatting with AJ a bit. Ben's yakking it up with Tali, those two lovebirds.”

Ziva laughed. “The twins? They have fun too?”

“Oh yeah, they're wiped out. Sound asleep in their tent.”

“What'd they do over there?” Ziva asked.

“Oh, you know AJ. Always on the lookout for ET with his telescope over there.” Tony chuckled.

“Oh, Dad!” Ziva heard AJ's voice in the background. “You're being funny.”

Tony laughed. “Yes, I am, AJ.” He came back on the line. “We had ourselves a nice campfire meal, then Ethan and Adam helped AJ set up the telescope, got a few pics of Mars.”

“Oh, really? I'll have to see them, for sure.” Ziva smiled. “I read something about Mars being especially bright this week.”

“Uh-huh. Got some really good pictures. He's now, I'm guessing, looking for Eta Carinae. Or Betelgeuse, I can't remember which at the moment.”

“Betelgeuse, Dad!” Ziva chuckled. She knew AJ was listening to Tony's conversation. He couldn't be so far off that he couldn't hear Tony. “Eta Carinae was the one we looked at twenty minutes ago!”

“Oh, yeah, that's right.” Tony called out to AJ. “What'd you have for dinner, my sweetcheeks?” He returned to Ziva.

“Well, the girls decided to make some lasagna for dinner.” Ziva chuckled. She knew exactly how Tony would react, and so she was prepared and thus not surprised at his reaction.

Tony gasped. “What?! You had lasagna without me?”

Ziva laughed. “One pan, all gone. Don't worry, there's a second pan with some left in it. All yours.”

“Ah, that's more like what I wanted to hear.” Tony chuckled. “Gotta have my lasagna fix.”

Ziva chuckled. “The girls didn't forget. They made sure to make extra for you.” Ziva changed the subject. “What do you think of Ben?”

Before Tony could answer, AJ called out to him. “Dad, c'mere and look at this!”

'Ah...hang on...” Tony said into the phone, and walked over to AJ. “Whatcha got, bud?” He stopped by AJ.

“Check it out. Betelgeuse in all its glory.” AJ pointed toward the eyepiece.

“Alright.” Tony bent over the eyepiece carefully. As he adjusted his eye relief the image of Betelgeuse suddenly materialized in front of his eyes. He gasped. “Oh, wow. One angry red giant, for sure.”

AJ chuckled. “You know, both it and Eta Carinae may have already went supernova and we just don't realize it yet.”

Tony stood up and looked at AJ. “Yeah? How so?”

Ziva chuckled, listening to the entire conversation over the phone.

AJ said, “Light. Or more specifically, the speed of light. Both of those stars are thousands of light-years away, so it takes a long time for their lights to reach us.”

“Ah, wow, didn't know that.” Tony said to AJ, then brought the phone up to his mouth. “Sorry about that, AJ wanted to show me the star he had been looking for. Betelgeuse, in all its angry red giant glory.”

“Sounds like he's having a good time,” Ziva said. “So, Ben?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, I think he's the one for Tali. He brought up a little about his work. From what I get from him, he's more like a paper pusher.”

“I don't know what you mean by 'pushing paper', but from what I understand all he does is security and liaison. No 'dirty work'.” Ziva sighed and shifted herself in the recliner.

Ziva heard a short chuckle on the other end. “Ah, that makes a little better sense now. Liaison, kinda like what you used to do?”

“Right, but no dirty work involved. There are different types of liaisons involved in the agency, you know.” Ziva laughed.

“The more I learn.” Tony chuckled. “I'm cool with him, you?”

'Oh Tony, yes. I feel at ease with him.” Ziva looked up at the clock. “Alright, it's getting pretty late. Call me when you guys are on the way back tomorrow?”

“Oh yeah, sure, I'll do that.” Tony yawned. “I think it's about time for me to hit the hay.”

AJ walked by Tony. “Good night, Ima and Dad!”

Ziva called out. “Good night, AJ, love you!”

Tony chuckled. “Alright, talk to you tomorrow, my sweetcheeks.” He made a smooching sound as he hung up the phone.

~~Tiva~~

On a busy Christmas Eve morning at the Rose Hill Home, Tony and Ziva were sitting on the living room couch, waiting for the food to bake in the oven. Suddenly, she heard a sudden increase in conversation as the kids went out to the living room door and greeted Rivka, Tali and Ben. They got up to meet them at the doorway.

“Ima! Tali! Ben! It's good to see you again!” Ziva smiled and welcomed them into the house. “Good trip?”

Rivka nodded and smiled. “Smooth coming in except for a little hiccup over Halifax. Nothing major.”

Ben and Tali set their bags on the floor next to the door. “Made it!” Tali breathlessly hugged Ziva and Tony. “Good to see you kids also.” She turned and smiled at AJ, Becky, and the twins.

Tony raised his arm open to hug Tali, “Hey darling! So happy to see you, Tali” Tony hugged Tali before giving Ben a firm handshake, then a hug.

“Good seeing you too, Tony and Ziva.” Ben smiled at both of them.

Ziva had noticed something different in Tali's face. She seemed more radiant, as if she was glowing from inside. It triggered a distant memory, but she couldn't yet place a finger on it. The more she noticed, the more suspicious she became, but it was more of a maternal caution/hope. She raised an eyebrow at Tali, then turned toward Tony. Their eyes carried on a conversation with each other. She said nothing, however.

Sometime later, after all of the dinner had been cooked and prepared, Ziva and Tali were getting the food ready to be served. Ziva turned to Tali. “So, how's Israel?”

Tali smiled. “Loving every minute of it there. And with Ben.”

Ziva smiled as she moved a bowl of salad to the side and started cutting up some fruit. “He's been wonderful to you, I'll say that much. Ready to bring the food out?”

“Oh, yes.” Tali nodded and grabbed a bowl of stir fry and a pan of roasted potatoes and brought them out to the dining room table, which had been enlarged by adding table leaves.

Ziva set her bowl of salad and fruit on the table next to the rest of the food. McGee had brought some sushi; Gibbs brought some steak which Tony had grilled up earlier.

Rivka called out, “Dinner's served!” In a blink of an eye, everyone was seated around the large dining table. Tony said the grace before everyone served themselves.

“What a year, huh?” Tony looked at Gibbs and McGee.

Gibbs chuckled. “You can say that again. Eventful.”

McGee raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Too bad we don't have a 'redo' button to take away some of the bumps in the road.”

Tony chuckled. “Bumps in the road? More like detours and forks in the road?”

“At least you don't have spoons in the road, Tony.” Ziva tilted her head at Tony and raised an eyebrow.

McGee sniggered. “Don't be leaving the silverware in the road, Tony.”

Tony scoffed. “Never!” Tony reached over and took a sushi roll and popped it in his mouth. “Mmm. Actually not half bad.”

Ziva looked at Tony, “The meats look good. You did great, Tony.” Ziva smiled.

“Yeah, your salad and roasted potatoes are delish, you did great.” Tony smiled and nodded appreciatively. “One of the cookbook recipes? Might have tasted a little bit of the _Alton Brown_ in there.”

Ziva scoffed and batted him on his arm. “Oh, be nice. My own recipes.”

McGee looked at Tony, “What did you guys think of the sushi that John and I bought?”

“Where'd you get those sushi rolls? Those are really good. I've been searching high and low for good sushi.” Tony pointed a finger at McGee.

McGee chuckled. “Here, I'll give you the name.” McGee opened up his phone, found the contact name for the sushi restaurant. He forwarded the contact info to Tony's phone. “See, that sushi there are Dynamite roll, and the ones with the rice on the outside are California rolls.”

Out of the corner of Ziva's eye, she saw Tali's face change. She shifted her eyes to look more closely at Tali, who was cringing slightly at the thought of raw fish. Ziva raised an eyebrow.

AJ had also seen Tali's facial expression change. “Tali, come on. You like the California roll, come on sissy.”

“I do, but I am not in the mood for that right now.” Tali glared at AJ. She was definitely starting to look a little green under the gills.

Adam looked at AJ. “Us DiNozzo boys are man enough to eat raw fish, right?” Adam grabbed a sushi roll and popped it into his mouth whole.

Ethan giggled, a little unsure of the whole thing. He did see how Tali reacted. He knew she normally loved the sushi, but not today. Something wasn't quite right.

Ziva looked at the boys, giving the boys that Mom look, mouthing the words, “you boys behave.” She then abruptly turned to Tony and smacked his arm. “Your fault.”

Gibbs and McGee laughed.

“Boys will be boys,” Rivka said, chuckling.

As everyone were laughing at each other, AJ took this opportunity to snatch a sushi roll. “Hey, Bec'! D'you want seafood?” Before she turned to face him, he quickly popped the sushi roll in his mouth and wetly masticated it.

“Huh?” Becky turned to face him. “Seafood?”

“See? Food!” He opened his mouth wide, showing the partly-chewed food off to Becky.

She turned up her nose at him. “Ew, gross, AJ!” She smacked him in his tummy just enough cause him to hunch over a bit.

Tali had caught everything out of the corner of her eye while she was looking down at her plate getting a bite to eat. She gagged softly and she quickly put her hand over her mouth. Before anyone could react, Tali suddenly leapt out of her chair, reached over the table to land a stinging head slap uspide AJ's head. She threw her napkin down on the table then stormed off to the bathroom.

“Ow!” AJ rubbed his head as he looked at Tony and Ziva with a startled, pained look. “What was that all about?”

Everyone sat still, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events. After a moment, Tony cleared his throat. “Uh, wow. Reminds me of what you did, Ziva. Right?” Tony slowly looked over to Ziva, with a stunned look on his face.

Ziva looked at Tony, “Yes. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to check on her. You deal with the boys.” Ziva slammed down her napkin as she got up, then turned and looked at AJ. “You know better than that. I don't think you'd do that to your girlfriend, would you?” She glared at AJ before she turned and walked away to check on Tali.

Tony looked at AJ and held out his hands. “Now look what you've got yourself into here. You too.” Tony turned to face Adam. Tony sighed as he sat back.

The two boys shrugged. “Sorry, Dad.”

Tony fired back. “No, I'm not the one you need to apologize to. You're gonna be apologizing to your sisters. That was no way to treat ladies.”

Moments later, Ziva came back to the table. “Tali's alright. She'll be back in a minute.” Ziva glanced at Tony, then turned to the boys, “I understand you're just having fun. But, manners at the table, please? You know better than that.”

“Won't happen again.” AJ muttered.

Adam shook his head. “Promise, it won't happen again.”

A moment later, Tali came back to the table sitting by Ben.

AJ looked at Tali. “Hey, sis. I'm sorry.” AJ looked at Tali and swallowed hard. The back of his head still stung from where she smacked him.

Ziva looked at Tali. “Are you alright?”

Tali nodded at her Ima. “Yeah. I'm feeling better now.”

Ziva looked into Tali's eyes. She suspected that it had to be the morning sickness. She did notice how Tali had reacted at the smell of sushi, and especially the raw fish. She knew from her own experience how certain smells could so easily turn her stomach when she was pregnant. It was like pregnancy had turned up some knobs for scent, causing certain smells to be overly nauseous.

After dinner was finished, Ziva told AJ and Adam that they were not leaving until the kitchen was cleaned up and the table cleared away. That was their punishment for grossing out their sisters.

Eventually, everyone gathered in the living room. Tony and Ziva sat next to each other on the couch, with Ziva in the middle. Rivka sat on the other side of Ziva.

“Ahh, what a good day, so far.” McGee sighed as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

Gibbs chuckled as he plonked his chair next to McGee's and sat in it. “Always good to be with family.”

Tali looked up at Tony and Ziva. “Family. The best people you can be with, right?” She smiled.

Ben walked into the room. Tali looked up as he entered the room and smiled. Her smile lit up the whole room. He smiled back. “Tali? Could you please come up here?”

Suddenly a little puzzled, but still smiling, Tali nodded and got up. She walked over to Ben. “Yes?”

Ben looked at Tali, then took her hand in his, then knelt down on one knee. He let go of her hand and fumbled for a moment in one of his pockets before carefully bringing out a small, black box. “Tali Liliana DiNozzo, will you marry me?” Ben smiled and looked up at her, smiling as he proposed the ring to her.

Tali gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh, yes, Benjamin Eschel! Yes!” She jumped up and squealed in delight as she hugged him tightly.

  
“Oh!” Ziva burst in happy tears as she covered her hands on her mouth. She looked at Tony. “Did you know?”

Tony laughed. “I had no idea. What a surprise.”

Gibbs was laughing his head off. “Did not see that coming at all.”

Moments after everyone gave Tali and Ben congratulatory hugs, Tali turned around to face everyone. “I have one more thing.” She got up and headed towards her room. “Don't go anywhere!” She said as she headed out the door.

Ben was caught off guard. “Wonder what she's got in store for me.” He tried to come up with every possibility, but came up short.

Moments later, Tali returned and looked around the room at everyone, then looked at Ben. “Here, this is for you.” She held out a bag she had gotten, and he took it. “Ima, one for you.” She handed that bag to Ziva. “And another, for you.” This one went to Tony. She then turned to Rivka and handed her the camera. “Take a pic the moment everyone opens the bags.”

Ben raised an eyebrow as he looked at the bag. “Oh, thanks, but the day before Christmas?” He smiled.

Tali nodded. “Uh-huh. It's a special one. Don't open it yet until I say so.” She smiled.

Ben smiled. “Ah.” He looked around the room, noticing that everyone was watching with bated breath.

“Okay, everybody ready? Savta, ready with the camera?” Tali looked at everyone, who nodded assent. “Okay, open 'em!”

They all opened their bags. A collective gasp arose from them. Tony pulled out a bib that said, “I LOVE GRANDPA”. Ziva pulled out a set of onsies that said, “I LOVE GRANDMA.” Ben pulled out a pair of baby shoes and a bottle.

Ben looked at the two objects in his hands. He looked up at Tali. “What?”

Tali chuckled. “There's one more thing in the bag.”

Ben's mind was tripping over itself. “Huh?” He got the bag and looked in it and saw something folded. He pulled it out and opened it and saw a picture. A sonogram.

“I'm going to be a daddy?” Ben muttered as he looked at the sonogram.

Ziva gasped. “Tali! Are you... expecting?”

Tali nodded with a smile, “The look on your faces, priceless. Yes, I'm two months pregnant.” She turned around to Ben and smiled. “I wasn't sure how to break the news, but,” Tali chuckled as Tony and Ziva got up and hugged them both, “him proposing to me just made it that much easier.”

Ziva smiled. “It all works out in the end after all. Two birds with one stone.”

Later, after everyone had left and gone to bed for the night, Tony and Ziva went up to their bedroom and got dressed for bed. Tony flopped down onto the bed, followed by Ziva.

“What a day.” Tony shook his head while looking up at the ceiling. He turned his head to look at Ziva. “Ben proposing to Tali, Tali expecting. Best gift we ever got, huh?” He reached over and stroked her hair away from her face.

Ziva smiled gently after kissing Tony. “Oh yeah, I am just in awe. It only seems like yesterday when she was a baby. A blink of an eye, now she's getting married, and expecting a baby...a good surprise.” Ziva raised her eyebrow, smiling at Tony.

“Yeah. Reminds me of when I asked you to marry me, and you told me you were pregnant with AJ. Wow, and it's repeating itself with Tali. At least now I know I got seven months to prepare myself for being a grandpa.” Tony chuckled softly as he held Ziva.

“Oh yeah. Same here, I get to prepare to be a Savta.” Ziva raised her eyebrows. She snuggled into Tony, hugging Tony on his chest as she laid her head on his chest.

Tony nodded with a chuckle, “Yep, that is for sure.”

Ziva smiled. “Good night, Tony. Love you.” She gave him a full-on kiss.

Tony returned the kiss and hugged her. “Love you, my sweetcheeks.” He then reached out and turned the light off as Ziva turned herself around to be in a more comfortable position. They held each other in the spoon position until they fell into a deep contented sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Readers, Thank you for the Kudos, and Messages, More to come soon.


	7. Saying GoodBye

January 2036

On one of those early cold mornings while the children were still enjoying their slumber, Ziva stirred awake, and after a moment, noticed that she was in Tony's warm embrace as he slept soundly behind her. She carefully turned over to face Tony, looking at his sleeping face. She bent closer to his ear and whispered, “Tony?” Getting no response, she reached her arm around him and started rubbing him in a particularly sensitive area.

“Mmm.” Tony stirred, but didn't yet open his eyes. He snuggled deeper into Ziva, and she could see a smile form on his lips.

She stroked his cheek and kissed him on his lips. “Feels good being in your arms,” she said, smiling at him.

Tony's eyes opened halfway and he turned his head toward Ziva as he woke up slowly. “Oh hi sweetcheeks, I was just dreaming of you.” Tony smiled, putting his arms around Ziva, looking at her as Ziva smiled.

“I noticed that.” Ziva chuckled gently as she planted another soft kiss on Tony's lips.

Tony chuckled. “C'mere, you.” He pulled her closer to him and encircled her in his hug as he planted a full on kiss to Ziva, and they made love in bed. After they had finished, they fell asleep for a short time, exhausted from their lovemaking.

After a short while, Ziva woke up and looked over at Tony. He was still asleep, still exhausted from previously. She chuckled to herself as she got up of the bed and walked to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. When she got done putting her leggings and one of Tony's shirts on her, she walked back to the bed, looking at Tony. She focused more intently on his face, studying it. She listened to his even breathing, his slight body movements. She gently whispered out to Tony. “Tony?” She saw his eyelids twitch, and she knew then that he was not fully asleep. She smiled.

“Hm?” Tony opened his eyes and smiled. “Resting at attention for you.” He smiled for a moment. His smile then lowered to half-mast. “Heard you taking your shower in there. I love that idea. Lemme grab a shower before the kids get up.” Tony chuckled as he got up toward Ziva, kissing her before walking to the bathroom.

In the sunroom in the back of the house, Ziva was going through her self meditation yoga moves and mulling over Tali's wedding plans. As she was doing her breathing exercises as part of the self-meditation, she heard Tony coming through the doorway. She opened her eyes and looked up at Tony. “'Morning, Tony.” Ziva smiled, reaching out her hand toward to Tony.

Tony walked toward Ziva, grasping her hand as he sat down by her. “Good morning, my sweetcheeks.” Tony smiled as he tilted his head toward her.

“Nice surprise in your dreams there?” Ziva followed Tony's head-tilt, giggling softly.

Tony chuckled. “Surprise, hell. You really took my dream outta the ballpark. Really scored a home-run with that one.” He pulled her closer to him and kissed her on her lips.

“Thought you'd like that.” Ziva smiled. “And after all these years, we're still going strong. Now look where we are.” She sighed as she looked at Tony, smiling, as the sun peeked out over the horizon in the window, spilling the first of its rays onto the couple.

Eventually, in the kitchen, Ziva was preparing breakfast while Tony was browsing around on his laptop while sipping his coffee. He came across something on the web browser and wanted to show Ziva, so he called out to her. “Hey, look at this, found a good deal on tickets out to Israel.”

Ziva continued cooking, as if she hadn't heard Tony. She seemed preoccupied, as if in deep thought.

“Earth to Ziva. Are you there?” Tony waved his hand in front of her eyes as she stirred the eggs.

Ziva snapped out of her reverie. “Oh, yes, I'm here.” She smiled.

“Noticed that your wheels were turning inside your head.” Tony smiled as he made wheel-turning motions with his fingers. “What's on your mind?” Tony looked at Ziva, drinking his coffee.

Ziva sighed, then smiled as she looked at Tony. “In a few weeks, Tali is getting married. Just thinking about this brought back memories of us getting married all these years ago. It feels like yesterday that she was in that circle with you and AJ. it felt so beautiful, so peaceful. Now, knowing that she's getting married,” Ziva smiled as she took Tony's eyes in with hers, “I feel at peace with everything.”

“Mm, I feel the same.” Tony came to her and drew her into his arms. “I remember that day like it happened yesterday also. Me holding AJ, Tali standing by me. The kids were happy. That alone brought out the warmest feeling I've ever had, and I felt peaceful like you did. I know it's hard for us to see our daughter getting married and starting a life of her own.” Tony reached out his hand and wiped a tear off of Ziva's cheek, kissing her on her lips gently.

Ziva looked up at Tony and held him as soon he kissed her. “Indeed, I am also glad Tali's getting married before the baby comes.” Ziva smiled as she sighed, feeling better once she is hugging Tony.

“Oh yeah. It's still a little hard to believe that Tali's also having a baby so soon. Our first grandchild, imagine that!.” Tony smiled, raising his hand in the air, shaking his head in surprise.

“I know, right?” Ziva chuckled, then turned to take a sip of her coffee. Just then, she heard one of the kids coming down the stairs. “Oh, the kids must be up,” she said as she looked at hallway in time to see Becky walk into the kitchen.

“Oh, good morning, Becky. Come here.” Ziva smiled as she turned toward Becky, holding her arms wide open.

“Hi Ima, good morning.” Becky smiled as she walked over to hug Ziva.

Tony looked at Becky. “'Morning, sleepyhead. Did you have a good time last night?”

Becky looked at Tony and chuckled. “Yeah, I did. No late-night partying, though.” She turned to sit at the island.

“Well, at least you get a decent night's rest still. You went to see your friends next door, right? Get away from all the testosterone, right?” Tony chuckled.

Both Becky and Ziva chuckled. Becky nodded at Tony with a smile. “You said it. Still, nice to get away from these boys every once in a while.” Becky chuckled yet again.

“Oh yeah, I can see that the boys can be a bit much. That's why we allow you to have your space and go see friends if you want.” Ziva smiled at Becky as she finished cooking breakfast.

Just then, the boys bounded out of the hallway into the kitchen. “'Morning!” The boys said in unison as they slid into their chairs around the table.

Ziva walked around the island to the table with the platters of food. “Breakfast's served! Help yourselves.”

Becky and the boys dug in. After a moment, Adam said, “Dad, could you pass the salt?”

Before Tony could do or say something, he heard his phone ringing in the distance. He groaned internally. They had just sat down for breakfast. Who could be calling this early? He wondered as he got up and walked to the living room to fetch his phone. He picked his phone up on the fifth ring and answered it. “Sorry it took a bit, we were just sitting down to eat,” he spoke into the phone.

“ _Hi Tony. Sorry for the interruption.”_

“Oh not a problem. What's up, probie?” Tony looked up at the ceiling, then down at the counter as he listened to McGee.

“ _Yeah, John and I just came here at Gibbs's house for our usual checkup.”_ Tony heard a sigh from the other end. _“For some reason Gibbs seems to be a little grumpier than usual this morning. Didn't want to do much but kept asking for both of you to come here.”_

“Alright, we'll be there soon after breakfast.” Tony took his phone away from his ear a bit and looked at Ziva and shrugged, looking at Ziva. He mouthed, “McGee, Gibbs.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “What now?” She whispered.

“ _Alright, I will let Gibbs know, and you can bring AJ along to keep John company?”_ Tony jerked his head downward and the phone to his ear.

“Yup, can do that.” Tony moved the phone away from his mouth. “AJ, better get ready, we're leaving in ten.”

AJ dropped his fork and looked up at Tony. “Go where?”

Ziva looked at AJ. “You go where Dad takes you.” She smiled at him. “If he takes you to the Niagara Falls, would you ask 'go where?'”

Tony looked up at AJ and smiled. “Grandpa Gibbs' house. Maybe you can figure out how to get that boat out of his basement this time around.”

AJ's face brightened in a smile. “Oh, sure, I'll go with you.”

Ziva chuckled. She knew that AJ had always wondered about how to get the boat out of the basement ever since he first saw it under construction down there. She turned to Becky. “You good with watching the boys while we go see what's up at Grandpa Gibbs?”

Becky smiled. “Not a problem. I've had my me time so I'm good for now.”

“Sounds good.” Ziva smiled and went back to her breakfast.

When they arrived at Gibbs' house later that morning, Ziva, Tony and AJ walked into the living room to find Gibbs sitting on the couch. “Hello, boss.” Tony mentally smacked himself. Old habit.

Ziva turned to the sounds of cleaning coming from the kitchen and saw John standing in the kitchen talking to McGee. “What's McGee doing?”

Gibbs sighed. “Broke my coffee mug in there. Asked him to help me clean up, I can't bend over to pick it up from the floor anymore.”

AJ walked over to John. “Hey, bud, what's shakin'?” The two did their own little handshake greeting.

John shrugged. “One of his moments, I guess.”

“Wanna head downstairs?” AJ asked John.

John laughed. “You don't have to ask me twice.” He turned to Gibbs. “Hey, Grandpa Gibbs, is it alright if we head downstairs to look at your boat?”

Gibbs chuckled. “Sure, knock yourselves out. Maybe you'll figure out how to get it out from there in one piece.” His eyes shone brightly at them.

AJ laughed. “I've always wondered about that. You don't by any chance have a shrinking machine down there?”

Gibbs erupted in laughter. “No, I do everything the old-fashioned way. No shrinking rays.”

The boys both laughed as they headed down the stairs.

“So, what's on your mind, Gibbs?” Ziva turned to Gibbs.

McGee returned with another mug of coffee for Gibbs. “There you go.”

“Thanks, McGee.” Gibbs took the cup from McGee, then turned to Ziva. “Just thinking of old times.” He took a sip of coffee and grimaced. “Still doesn't taste right at all.”

“That's the third cup I've made already, boss. The coffee's fine, I had a cup myself.” McGee looked genuinely puzzled.

“Hmm.” Ziva stroked her chin with one finger, thinking. “Your taste has changed, Gibbs?”

Gibbs shrugged. “Had a steak last night. It was good.”

McGee nodded. “Wolfed it down like nobody's business, as a matter of fact.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

“Not now,” Gibbs muttered almost irritatedly. Everyone turned to look at Gibbs, who was looking at something in a corner of the room.

“What's that?” Tony asked Gibbs.

Gibbs looked at Tony. “Don't you realize who's standing there?” He pointed to the corner. There was nobody there.

Tony leaned closer to Gibbs, worry etched on his face. “Boss? I don't -”

Gibbs suddenly reached out and head-slapped Tony. “Probie, do you see him?”

Tony grunted from the smack. “Boss, there is no one there,” he said through gritted teeth.

A clap was heard in the room. “Alright, who's standing there, Gibbs?” Ziva stood up suddenly, with her hands clasped together. She had just had an epiphany and when it struck, she had clapped her hands together.

“Ziver, don't you see him?” Gibbs turned to Ziva.

“See _who?_ ” Ziva pressed. She could only sense the presence of ghosts, but to her it was a sort of intangible feeling, something un-explainable.

Gibbs sighed and turned to the corner. “Mike, show yourself, they don't believe me.”

McGee shook his head and blinked. He was trying to process what was going on. He had an uneasy feeling wash over him all of a sudden. He had only heard about cases like this only a few times, but never had personally witnessed this. “Uhm.”

“It's okay.” Ziva glanced at McGee then back at Gibbs. “Were you thinking about old times, you said?”

Gibbs looked at Ziva and smiled. “Good times, huh? Working the old cases as a team.”

Tony smiled, but his smile was tinged with a bit of sadness. He thought back to the days that led up to his departure from NCIS, and the situations leading up to it. They had not left on good terms; it had taken Gibbs years to make it up to him and Ziva. “Right. As a team. Those were the good days.” Tony rubbed the back of his head. He hated it, even after all these years, when Gibbs was the one giving him the head-slaps.

McGee nodded. “Well, except maybe for that over-excited lab rat.”

Tony chuckled. “Lab _squirrel_ , you mean?” He held up his hands like a squirrel fussing over an acorn. This earned a chuckle from McGee.

Ziva shook her head at Tony and McGee. “Seriously, you two.”

Gibbs grumped. “Don't talk about that one.”

Tony and McGee turned and looked at Gibbs. “Are you alright, boss?” They had noticed the sudden vehemence in his voice.

“Whoa, time out.” Ziva sat closer to Gibbs. “Don't talk about Abby?”

“No!” Gibbs said, almost without thought. He paused and held up a hand. “What I mean is...” He sighed. “Remember our retirement party?”

“Uh-huh, I remember. That was when I kicked her to the curb for what she did to me and Ziva all those years ago.” Tony had a slightly pained look on his face.

Gibbs let out a short derisive chuckle. “Couple years before the retirement party, she shows up out of the blue, asking for Tony.” Gibbs shook his head. “Tony this, Tony that. Like she wouldn't let go of him.”

“And?” Ziva raised an eyebrow. She already wanted to do a number of Mossad-like things to her squirrelly neck. She took a deep breath and put those thoughts to the side. “What did she say, specifically?”

Gibbs looked at Ziva and scoffed. “That you stole him from her. I swear, she must have lost it.”

Ziva shook her head. “That explains why she lost her banana.”

“Went bananas,” Tony corrected her. “Makes sense why she reacted the way she did when I flat-out turned her down and told her I already got a wife and a family and that I'm moving on. That I would never trust her again after what she had done to our friendship.”

Gibbs sat up. “What'd she say when you told her no?”

Tony let out a short chuckle. “Well, not much, considering she looked like she got hit by heavy artillery. Then she started bawling some kid who lost her balloon.”

Gibbs nodded. “Well, that makes sense. After you left, I went up to my desk to clean it out. Trashed. I'll give you two guesses who did it.”

“No!” Tony exclaimed. “She must have totally lost it.”

Gibbs sighed. “That's part of why I don't like talking about her. Squirrel part's funny, though.” He smiled.

“So she had a part in why we left?” Ziva asked.

Gibbs didn't reply. He turned to the corner. “Damn it, I've retired years ago! Stop calling me probie!”

Ziva blinked. “Tony.” She nudged him as she spoke in an undertone.

“Got ya.” Tony replied in the same undertone. He turned to Gibbs. “Yo, Gibbs. We're here. He can wait.”

Gibbs whipped his face around to Tony. “You never tell your senior to wait. You of all people should know that, _probie_.” Gibbs smiled at Tony.

Tony chuckled. “Of course, but you know the difference between me and him? He's been dead for years, and I'm still here.”

“Of course I knew that.” Gibbs continued on as if he hadn't quite heard Tony mention the fact that Mike Franks had been dead for decades now. “Explain to me, then, why Mike Franks standing there where I can see him.”

Tony said, “And we can't see him.” He stopped himself and thought for a moment. He made eye contact with Ziva. Their eyes told each other everything. They knew that something was up; this was very unlike Gibbs.

Ziva looked at McGee. “Mind calling his doctor? Something's not right.” Gibbs had not seen Mike Franks' ghost for years now. Why now? A concern arose within her. She had a premonition, as if something was imminent. She looked back at Gibbs, whose color was just starting to change.

McGee nodded and took out his phone. “On it.”

Gibbs sat up a little further. “Here, help me up, Tony.” He held up his hands.

“Sure thing, boss.” He mentally smacked himself again. Even after all these years, he had to tell himself he was not at work. This habit was ingrained within him from his tenure at NCIS. He pulled Gibbs up into a standing position.

“Thanks. Just wanted to show you something.” He turned and took a few steps, then the light suddenly just went out of his face and he fell forward and hit the floor with a hard THUMP!

“Gibbs!” Ziva rushed toward Gibbs.

“Boss!” McGee dropped his phone and ran towards Gibbs.

Tony reached out and tried to grab Gibbs, but Gibbs slipped through his fingers. “Nooo!”

As Gibbs' body hit the floor, a light coating of dust raised from the floor around him, and in that very instant, the trio got a flash of image that engraved itself into their minds: Mike Franks, Shannon, Kelly, Gibbs, all standing together.

“Now do you see?” Gibbs said. But it was not Gibbs in the room, it was Gibbs from... somewhere else.

“Oh!” Ziva gasped. She looked up sharply at Tony. Their eyes locked for a moment, then they looked at McGee, who had the same stunned look on his face. None of them could speak, because the vision that had appeared in their minds had surprised them so much. It was at that moment, they had gotten a much fuller understanding of what Gibbs had meant.

They heard the sound of footsteps running up the stairs, and the vision suddenly disappeared and everything was normal again. “What happened?” John called out. He stopped short, taking in the scene, seeing the shocked looks on their faces.

“Ima! Dad! Are you okay?” He stopped short and looked down, seeing Gibbs on the floor. “Grandpa!” He started to rush forward, but John grabbed him and held him in a bear hug.

McGee looked up in shock. “Uhm. Call, uhh... my phone, where's my phone?” He started looking around for his phone, not realizing that he had dropped it. He had never completed the call.

“Dad, it's over there!” John ran to pick it up. “Hello?” He spoke into the phone. Nothing. He cleared the screen and dialed 911.

Tears started streaming from Ziva's eyes as she sat near Gibbs' body. AJ let go of John and slowly walked over to Ziva and sat down next to her, tears on his cheeks. Wordlessly, he hugged his Ima and comforted her. Tony joined in the circle with Ziva and AJ as Ziva started singing in Hebrew.

The ambulance arrived quickly. The EMTs came in and it only took them a moment to officially pronounce him dead. With saddened hearts, they called the Palmer Funeral Home and had Jimmy come over to pick up Gibbs' body and prepare him for his final rites.

About a week after Gibbs' private funeral and burial, a throng of NCIS staff packed themselves in the huge multipurpose room which had been set up with rows of chairs for the memorial service. As everyone filed into the room, the DiNozzos entered the room along with McGee and John.

“Long time no see. Good to see you.” Tony's head snapped to one side, coming face to face with a smiling Vance. “I've got news for you, but first, let me express my condolences for Gibbs. I understand that you were there when it happened?”

“Yeah.” Tony nodded. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Ziva nod as well. “It was so sudden. Got up out of his chair, took maybe four steps, keeled over. Boom.” He had a slightly pained look on his face for a moment, then regained his composure, taking in a deep breath.

“There was nothing we could do.” Ziva added.

Vance nodded. He turned to the kids, who by now have already grown up. “And a good hello to you all, too.” He smiled.

The kids filed past. “Hello, Leon.” AJ smiled as he walked past. “Good to see you too.”

Ben and Tali stopped before Vance. “Long time no see, Leon.” Tali smiled.

Vance looked at Tali, mouth agape. “My, how you've grown! And who's this good-lookin' young strapping man?”

“Leon, this is Ben, my fiance.” She turned to Ben. “Ben, Leon Vance. Former head of NCIS.”

Vance smiled and held out his hand for a good hand shake from Ben. “Pleased to meet you.”

Tali looked at Vance. “His father and Ima worked together for a time.”

“Oh, is that right?” Vance raised his eyebrow and turned toward Ziva.

Ziva nodded, giving Vance a small, wistful smile. “Yes. In another lifetime, right after I left.” She was referring to the rather unusual circusmstances she had left NCIS under. “How are your kids doing?” Ziva tilted her head.

“Wonderful. Jared is in the Navy now, based out of Pensacola, and Kayla's working big-name law firm up in New York. They're calling her a bright upstart lawyer now.” Vance's face changed to a more serious look. He lowered his voice as he looked toward Ziva. “Need to talk to you three, privately.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful.” Ziva smiled, saying this out loud. She lowered her voice. “About?”

Tony looked sideways at Vance and Ziva, suddenly interested. Out loud, he said, “Looks like a good crowd out here.” He looked around the room, and dropped his voice. “Something up?”

Vance nodded slightly. “Not here.” He walked away, leaving the trio to follow him.

“I guess we follow him,” McGee muttered under his breath and looked at Vance's retreating figure.

“After you, probie.” Tony nudged McGee in Vance's direction, then started walking with Ziva to follow Vance.

“Hm. Something's up.” McGee hastened to keep up.

Moments later, after Vance led them upstairs to the NCIS director's office, the NCIS director herself came out of the office. “Oh, you're here, good.” She smiled to Vance. “I see you got the others as well.”

“Yes, Madam.” He smiled and held out an arm, indicating that the trio should enter the room. “This is my former team that worked under Gibbs under my purview.”

The director turned to the trio as they entered the room. “Before we get started, my name is Olivia Burnett. You may call me Director Burnett, or Madam Director.” She smiled.

“The reason I asked you to come with me is because I received some intel that involves you. Especially Tony.” He pointed a finger to Tony.

Ziva had a surprised look on her face. “But I thought you were retired?”

Vance let out a short chuckle. “I still have friends in high places that pass along news to me every so often. It pays to keep your ear to the ground every once in a while. Madam?” He turned to the NCIS director.

The NCIS director walked around her desk and picked up a folder and opened it and read something. “Does the name Abigail Scuiutto sound familiar to you three?”

Tony let out a derisive chuckle. “Who can forget that over-excited lab squirrel? I swear, she main-lines that Caf-POW drink.”

Vance nodded with a chuckle, “That was one of her defining characteristics. I'll never forget seeing all those Caf-POW cups all over her lab. Such a relief to see a clean lab for once after she left.”

Ziva's stomach turned at the mention of the vile concoction. “She was our former forensic scientist, yes.” She looked up at the director.

Leon glanced at the director, who nodded. “She was one of a kind. Good forensic scientist, but her personality left a lot to be desired. Never really fit in well with everybody.”

Tony let out another snort. “Never fit in, hell, she rubbed everybody the wrong way. I could barely stand that Caf-POW crazed woman.” Tony held up his hand like a squirrel fiddling with a nut.

McGee turned up his nose ever so slightly and raised his eyebrow. “Oh, she was... interesting.” He turned his face into a puzzled look. “Who even sleeps in a coffin?”

Director Burnett turned to look at McGee. “Slept in a coffin? Really?” She took a couple of steps toward McGee. “Please explain?”

McGee blushed slightly. He shifted his feet slightly. “Uh, well. My apartment was a crime scene at one time, and I had to stay elsewhere until the investigation wrapped up. She's a goth.” He nodded, his face twisted up in a contortion. “Y'know, dog collar, all-black outfit, dark clothing. I think she takes it a little to the extreme.”

Burnett nodded. “Ah. Got the picture.” She flipped to another page. “The reason you're all here is because of the intel that involves you three. Tony especially. She apparently escaped from a mental institution in another state, where she had been committed shortly after she trashed the bull-pen and the director's office. This office.”

Tony and Ziva looked at each other, remembering what Gibbs had told them before he passed away. Their eyes told them everything. They realized that Gibbs had not been the core of all the turmoil within NCIS during their tenure there; it had been Abby had been causing all the stress on Gibbs.

Just then, Ziva heard a whisper. This one didn't come from inside the room. “You see? It was her.” Ziva looked around, but only for a moment. She realized it was _Gibbs_ who had spoken to her inside her mind. She said nothing.

Tony must have sensed something too, because he involuntarily reached up and rubbed the back of his head. It felt as if he had been head-slapped. Ziva caught this and she asked Tony with her eyes, “ _Was it him?”_ Tony's eyes locked with hers.

“Uhm.” McGee broke the spell. “Why would she trash Gibbs' desk _and_ this office?”

The director stepped around the desk toward the conference table and laid the folder on the table, then leaned against the table. “Well, from witness accounts, as she was trashing Gibbs' desk, she was alternatively screaming obscenities and muttering to herself. Saying things like “must find Tony”, “she's not dead!”, “How could it be?” You know, she sounded like she had finally lost whatever sanity she had left and let loose.”

“Wow.” Tony muttered to himself. He then snorted. “All I did was just tell her off. Told her that I'm living life happily with Ziva, and basically just kicked her to the curb. Told her in a nice way that I'm moving on and that she should, too.”

Director Burnett turned to Tony. “And how'd she react afterwards?”

Ziva spoke up. “Well, she stood there and started crying. I just turned around and walked away with my daughter Tali.”

“So there's some history between you and Abigail?” The director looked at Ziva.

Tony scoffed and let out a cat-like “Mrreow!” as he held out clawed hands as if they were fighting each other. “Ziva could never get along with her.”

Understanding filled the director's eyes. “Makes sense. Apparently, she had escaped the mental institution once she had heard that Gibbs had died, and we think she's on her way over here. To get at you.” The director shifted her gaze to Tony.

Vance spoke up. “Apparently, from what the mental hospital staff has told us, she seems bent on a vendetta to take Ziva out and maybe Tony, too. Jealousy there?”

“But what does it have to do with me, boss?” McGee turned to Vance.

Vance shook his head slightly. “No idea, except maybe that she might want to do you in, too, to hurt Tony as much as possible. Who knows?”

Director Barrett turned to face the trio. “We're pretty sure that she is on her way here. She may be armed and dangerous. We have people posted at the entrances to keep a look out for her. Part of the reason you're here is so that you are aware. You're going to let her come to her, and our people will take care of the rest.”

Ziva maintained an even, neutral expression on her face. “So, a trap.” She walked toward the window and looked out. “Our kids?”

Burnett walked up next to Ziva. “We don't think she will go after them. Just you three. But we're willing to -”

“No. Keep everything normal. No panic, or it will tip her off.” Ziva shook her head. She walked back toward Tony. “I'll make a small change. Draw her away to a catch zone.”

Tony nodded. “Got just the spot in mind.” He smiled slightly, anticipating another possible cat-fight.

“No unnecessary risks, now.” The director stepped closer to the DiNozzos. “We don't want any unexpected consequences.”

Tony interjected. “You forget. She's Mossad. You don't wanna mess with her.”

Director Burnett turned to Tony. “I'm fully aware. Just keep that in mind, no unnecessary risks.” She knew that with a potentially armed and dangerous mental hospital escapee, there was no telling what could happen.

“Right. Thanks for giving us the heads up.”

“I'll keep my eyes out for her, and if I see her, I'll give everybody else a heads-up.” McGee smiled at everybody. “For what it's worth, I kinda know how that lab rat thinks.”

“Lab _squirrel_ , you mean, probie?” Tony chuckled at McGee.

Ziva smiled slightly. “We've got our work cut out for us. Enjoy the memorial, but keep an eye out for a crazy squirrel. Got it.”

  
Moments later, they entered the multipurpose room and sat next to their kids. Ziva leaned over to Tali. “Squirrel alert,” she whispered into her ear.

Tali turned to Ziva with a baffled look on her face. “What?! A squirrel's here?” She looked around for a moment, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Tony held up his hands and fiddled with an imaginary acorn and chittered slightly like a squirrel, making sure to hold his hands down where only Tali and Ziva could see the motions. The boys had seen it also, however.

Tali looked at Tony, then back at Ziva. “Ima, is she back?”

AJ looked at Tali, “Oh, the same squirrel you've been telling us about, Tali?”

Becky turned to AJ, then to Tali. She had heard the exchange. “Are you talking about the dog-collar squirrel?”

Ethan and Adam started giggling, then mimicked Tony's squirrel-like motions. “Hey, squirrel!” Adam whispered out, quietly, giggling silently.

Ziva looked at Tali. “What exactly did you tell them about Abby?”

Tali giggled. “Only a little. The dog collar part, and how weird she was.”

“I'm sure.” Ziva chuckled slightly. She knew that Tali had told them a lot more than she let on.

Tony cleared his throat. “Just keep an eye out for her. Act normal.” He tapped Ethan on the shoulder. “Normal, be cool,” he signed to Ethan.

Ethan nodded. “Gotcha. If any of us sees her, what then?”

“We'll take care of her. You let us know if you see her. Discreetly.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “We don't wanna be tipping her off.” He turned to the others. “Text, sign, body language, I don't care, as long as you get that out to us.”

Ziva nodded and whispered. “She may be armed. You be careful. Use your codes if you have to.”

Tali gulped. She knew that this could potentially get out of hand from the impression that she got from Ziva. “I'll keep Becky and the boys with me.”

Ziva nodded. “I don't expect her to show up just yet.” She looked up and scanned the room carefully, not being obvious. Near the back of the room, she spotted a familiar figure, wearing a disguise. But it was impossible for the person to hide herself, because she kept involuntarily clasping her hands and wringing them over and over close to her chest, beneath her chin.

“Ah, here we go.” Tony shifted position in his chair slightly, looking the other way. He had not seen what Ziva saw. He was looking at the director, who was just now entering the room.

“Tony. Eleven o'clock, rear of the room.” She did not take her gaze off of the person. She noticed that the person looked slightly anxious as she nervously scanned the room, looking for them, not finding them. “She hasn't found us yet.”

“Huh?” Tony turned toward her. “You see her?”

Ziva followed the woman's movements as she jerkily walked around the edge of the room, nervously searching the crowd of people. She appeared to be mumbling to herself. “Disheveled hair, moving towards center of room.” She nodded slightly in her direction.

Tony finally saw the woman. “Ahh. The squirrel's here.” He fiddled with his fingers like a squirrel, keeping his hands down low, but still where the kids could see.

Tali caught this and gasped. Her eyes flicked upwards, catching sight of the nervous woman. “Yup, that's her. Still wearing that dog collar?” She turned to Tony and Ziva. “Oh, boy. Some things never change, huh?”

Tony looked pained. “Yeah, let's take care of this, now.” He slowly got up from his chair and made his way over to the aisle, and walked toward the doorway, keeping an eye on Abby the whole time. He raised an eyebrow as he realized that Abby had seen him, but she had not recognized him from afar, and he sighed internally in relief.

Ziva got up, and turned to Tali. “Stay here. We'll be back in a minute.” She followed Tony out to the hallway, keeping her eye on Abby. She smiled to herself as she slipped away without being seen by Abby. Abby had shifted her gaze elsewhere by then.

Both Tony and Ziva looped around the multipurpose room, heading towards where Abby was. “Lemme shoot a text to McGeek.” Tony pulled his phone out.

“Do it.” Ziva scanned the hallway ahead.

Tony sent a text to McGee telling him to keep his eyes out for Abby and to let him know of any changes. “Sent,” he said as he put the phone back in his pocket.

Just then, a throng of people started exiting the room, because the service had just finished. They didn't see Abby in the throng of people, as they expected. They hurried past the throng into the room, scanning for Abby. “I don't see her,” Ziva said, quickly scanning the room.

_Ding._ Tony quickly pulled his phone out. _Squirrel alert. Close to family.”_ He jammed the phone back in his pocket and muttered a curse. “Quick, this way!” Tony grabbed Ziva's arm and propelled her ahead of her toward the other side of the room. Another ding, and he stopped and pulled his phone out. _Kids got separated in crowd. Squirrel got Tali._

“What's up?” Ziva ran after Tony. She suddenly noticed Ethan running toward her. She quickly signed, “Tali, where?”

Ethan signed back, “Separated. Weird woman grabbed her and ran.”

Tony cursed. “Abby's got Tali.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Vance while quickly walking and looking for Abby.

Ziva breathed out a sigh of relief as she caught sight of the rest of the kids. “You kids – stay together!” She guided Ethan to the rest of the kids, sans Tali. “Don't get separated, no matter what happens. Head to the car.” She grabbed AJ's hand and palmed her car keys into his. “Go home and wait for word.” Her eyes were serious.

AJ nodded. He knew this was not the time to argue. “Let's go, kids.” He herded them with him toward the exits, and John joined with them as John bumped into the group. “Something's up. We gotta go,” he said to John.

“Right – I figured.” John nodded as he fell in with the kids.

Ziva turned back toward Tony. “Let's go find them.” She headed further up the hallway.

“Righty-o.” Tony followed behind. He peeked into the next couple of doorways, seeing no one. He caught up with Ziva. He strained his ears for anything out of the ordinary. He felt a tap on his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin. He whipped around to face Ben. “Christ. You scared me, Ben.”

“”Where's John?” McGee appeared beside Ben. He had exited a doorway ahead of Tony that he hadn't had a chance to check yet.

Ziva turned around to face them. “Sent John home with the rest of the kids.” She turned to Ben. “Abby's got Tali. We have to act fast.” Ziva pulled out her phone and called Vance. After he answered, she said, “Sound the alarm. Abby has Tali.” She hung up and turned to the group. “We'll split up. Ben, with McGee. Tony, with me. Head toward the exits and make sure she doesn't leave. We'll meet you there.”

“If we encounter Abby?” McGee asked.

Tony looked at McGee. “Stall them long enough for help to get there.”

“Right.” The group split up, with McGee and Ben headed towards the exits, and Tony and Ziva on a more indirect route toward the exits.

As they got closer, they could hear the alarm going off and the PA system announcing a lockdown of the facility. “Good, they got the alert.” Ziva nodded slightly. “Hopefully she hasn't left the building.” She had a strong confidence that she hadn't left, however. “I sense her presence nearby.”

Tony edged closer to the turn in the hallway. “Lemme take a peek. See what's going on down there.” He positioned himself behind the corner, then took a quick peek. He turned around and mouthed a swear.

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Problem?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. She's in the lobby. Got the biggest knife I ever seen in her hands.” Tony sighed.

Ziva stepped past Tony. “Let me see.” She took a quick peek down the hallway. She noticed that Abby was alternating between muttering incoherently and screaming curses while holding Tali, stepping from foot to foot sideways, as if she was being tormented by some appirition or hallucination. She turned back around the corner toward Tony. “Send a text. Let them know where Abby is and where we are. Vance first.”

Tony whispered, “Yup, ahead of you. Was gonna send to McGee first, but yeah, Vance is better.” He bent down over the screen and sent out a general alert to the director and Vance. As he awaited their replies, he fired off another text to McGee. He got quick confirmations. “They're getting in place now.”

Ziva nodded. “Good.”

Suddenly, a prolonged scream echoed down the hallway. Ziva gasped slightly. She knew the sound of _that_ scream. She peeked out past the corner again, and this time she caught Tali's glance. She quickly put a finger to her lips. She quickly signed to Tali: “No signs. She knows ASL.” She saw Tali nod slightly, then look up toward Abby. All the while, Abby was screaming at the top of her lungs, spinning around, head upturned. Ziva turned back out of sight around the corner. “Tali knows we're here now,” she whispered to Tony.

Meanwhile, back in the lobby, Abby stopped screaming and babbling incoherently, then suddenly turned to Tali. “It's all your fault, you know. Tony's not your father, you know.” Her speech was rapid-fire, deranged-sounding. Abby started fiddling with her hands, almost as if it was an involuntary tic.

Tali gulped. “Why do you have to continually do that with your hands?”

“I'm not a squirrel!” Abby stamped her high-heeled boot down with a loud CLOMP! “It's your fault, you know, calling me squirrel.” She scowled, gripping the large knife with anger.

A soft, lilting voice, almost ethereal, drifted down the hallway toward them. Tali flicked her eyes in that direction. She realized that it was not in English, but as a matter of fact, in Hebrew. It was her Ima singing in Hebrew, but not a song, but rather, a message to Tali. She listened intently to the message within, while keeping her face expressionless and moving her eyes about, as if she hadn't heard it at all.

The sound set Abby off. “What's that?” She shouted as she looked around wildly, not seeing anything. “What's that?!”

Tali looked up at Abby. “What're you talking about?”

“That voice, just now! What's it saying?” Abby looked around, then settled her eyes on Tali, her breath ragged. “You can hear it, I know you can!”

“I hear nothing, what are you on about?” Tali put on a puzzled look on her face, and held up her hands in the air.

The same lilting Hebrew voice sounded from down the hallway, this time a little closer. Abby let out a little squeal and jerked around toward the sound. She didn't catch Ziva melting into the shadows, though. “Who's out there?! I can hear you!” Silence as she strained her ears, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. She whipped back around to Tali, holding the knife up menacingly. “Tony's not your father, you know. Ziva got knocked up just to trap Tony!” She hissed toward Tali, spittle flying out of her mouth.

“Don't you say that about my dad!” Tali flared up, but didn't make an attempt to jump up into Abby's face. She had heard the encoded message within the song; it had instructed her to wait until the right time. She steeled herself for what was about to happen, and as she watched Abby pace back and forth slurping on her Caf-POW drink.

Abby snapped her head back toward Tali. “I'll say whatever I want about Tony! Your mother stole him from me!” She stomped her foot, the sound echoing throughout the hallway like a gunshot.

“You don't get that right, Abby.” Abby turned in a different direction, not toward Ziva. She saw Vance walking toward her, shaking his head.

“What are you doing here?” Abby growled at him. She lunged toward him with the knife, but only as a threat. “Get back!”

“I think the proper question would be, what are _you_ doing here?” McGee appeared from a different direction.

“Tim?! What -?” Abby spun around, looking wildly in all directions.

“You want me, here I am.” Tony was walking down the same hallway that Ziva had been singing down. “For your information, she didn't steal me.”

Abby's voice rose into a wailing scream as she raised her knife and started running toward Tony. She didn't get very far, because Ziva ran past Tony in a flash and stopped short of Abby with a paperclip in her hand. “I don't think so!” Ziva shouted at Abby, causing Abby to skid to a stop, taken aback by Ziva's sudden fury.

“Drop the knife!” Vance shouted at Abby.

All of a sudden, Abby was staring down the barrels of several pistols. She looked around at the agents holding guns on her, then her face distorted into a mask of rage as she turned toward Ziva. “You! You stole him from me!” She thrust the knife in the air. “He was meant for _me!_ ”

Vance stepped closer to Abby. “Miss Sciuto, we're here to help you. Please put the knife down and we'll talk this out with you.”

Abby whipped around to face him. “There's no talking with me. It's all their fault I'm this way. Tony was meant for me, you know!” She rubbed her hands together like a nervous squirrel washing his hands over and over again.

“Squirrel!” A voice sounded from the floor.

“Don't you call me squirrel!” Abby ran toward Tali with her knife extended in the air, her face distorted into a rage mask.

“No!” Tony ran toward Tali.

“Stop!” McGee tripped over himself trying to block Abby.

In a flash, Tali's body became a writhing dervish, legs and arm wailing through the air, causing Abby to lose balance and fall to the floor with a hard smack. Before everyone knew it, Tali had swept her leg under Abby's hard enough to trip her, and she jumped up, meeting Abby halfway, and grabbed her torso and pulled her down to the floor – hard.

Ziva closed the gap and her free hand encircled Abby's neck as Abby's mouth opened in a gasp of surprise at Ziva's speed. She let out a squeal as the paperclip rocketed through the air straight for her eyeball, stopping inches short of her left eyeball.

“No!” Abby moaned. “Please don't kill me!” She squirmed away from Ziva's unrelenting grasp on her neck. As she did so, pain shot through her abdomen. “Oh!” She grunted as she looked down and saw the handle of the knife sticking out of her abdomen, blood pooling slowly underneath her.

“Get the medics!” Someone yelled as Ziva started to straighten up herself and released her grip on Abby's neck. She looked down at Abby's stomach and saw the knife. She gasped and stood up a little faster.

“Ziva!” Tony ran up beside her and looked down at Abby. “Oh, what happened here?”

Tali got up and ran toward Ben and grabbed him in a tight embrace. “Shhh, I've got you, you're okay.” Ben soothed her and hugged her tight. “You did good.” He kissed the top of her head and held her tight.

McGee stopped at Abby's dying body and looked down. “Why, Abby?”

Abby slowly looked up, pain in her eyes. “Oh, McGee, I loved him so much!”

Ziva fired back at Abby. “Enough for you to become a rabid squirrel and go after me and my family?” She spat out a Hebrew curse at her and walked away a few steps.

Abby let out a groan as the last of her life drained from her, and her head slowly settled to the floor, where she no longer moved.

Director Burnett stepped into the circle. “I just came back with the medics. You do realize there will be an investigation on this?” She turned to Vance.

“I'm fully aware of that, but I can assure you that there was nothing we could do because she fell onto her own knife.” Vance nodded and looked toward Tali. “I'll tell you something, I'm impressed with Tali and how she handled it. You keep an eye on her, she's dangerous.” He chuckled with that last part.

Tony chuckled. “I didn't know we raised a ninja in our family.” He turned to Ziva. “Why, she could pass for a mini-Ziva.”

Ziva smacked Tony on the arm and laughed. “Wasn't me. Well, maybe a little bit.” She looked at Ben. “I think she got her teachings elsewhere.” She figured that Ben would be tutoring her on self-defense, most likely after Tali had shared her prior experience with him.

Tony shook his head, looking at Abby, then turning away. “I'm impressed, to be honest. One second Abby was screaming like the Joker at the top of her lungs and ready to kill Tali, and the next she's on the floor bleeding out. I would've missed it if I blinked.”

The investigation that followed after Abby's body was taken down to Autopsy was quick. Director Burnett stopped the video from the camera feeds and turned to the people facing her. “Okay, that's about as open-and-shut as you can get it. You could see how she fell on her knife after Tali tripped her up. Interesting how she rolled over right after she landed, though. Probably from the adrenaline, though.”

“No, you can see her pushing herself over.” McGee pointed to one of Abby's arms on the screen.

Tony nodded and stepped forward, looking at the screen. “Nothing touches the knife afterwards. She had her hand on that knife until she hit the floor, then she pushed up with that hand. See?”

The director nodded her head. “That's right, I'd missed that before, it was on the other side of her body.”

Ziva spoke up. “Right, she rolled toward the camera.”

“So I had nothing to do with her dying.” Everyone turned to a corner, where Tali sat. She was sitting next to Ben, who was holding her.

“No, it was just pure chance. That knife could have gone any direction.” Director Burnett took several steps toward Tali and sat in a chair next to her. “No matter what, you had no blame in this. She had a mental condition that needed rigid control of medication to keep under control.” She reached out and grasped Tali's arm. “You have wonderful parents. I can see they've raised you to be an outstanding citizen. Don't take Abby's words personally.”

“Aw, gee, thanks.” Tony chuckled.

Director Burnett turned toward Tony. “I mean it. I'm aware of the unusual circumstances surrounding you and your family, and how well you've managed to handle the situation. There's not many people that I would be honored to call truly outstanding parents like you and Ziva.”

Ziva smiled and walked toward the Director. She held out a hand for a handshake. “Thank you. We certainly did our best, and it worked out well, right?”

The Director nodded her head once. “I would again like to extend my condolences for Gibbs. I never got the chance to properly do that earlier during the memorial to you, personally.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, he was a good guy. Imperfections and all.” He had a wry smile on his face.

Vance chuckled and nodded once. “I guess, since this whole thing has been put to bed, could we all go home?”

Director Burnett laughed. “Certainly. Let's get out of here.” She picked up her purse and jacket and ushered everyone out of the office.

Some time later in the evening, they arrived at the Rose Hill home, and they got out of McGee's car, with Tony carrying a couple of boxes of pizza that they had gotten from a local pizzeria. As they entered the house, the younger teens looked up from the TV they were watching. “Everything okay? I didn't hear from you.” AJ stood up from the couch and walked toward Tony and Ziva.

Tali walked in through the doorway, followed by Ben. “Yeah, everything's okay.” She smiled at AJ as he walked up to them.

Ethan signed, “Squirrel? What about her?”

Tali shrugged. “Karma's a bitch.” She walked away to the kitchen.

“Ima!” Adam looked shocked at what Tali had said. “Did you hear what she just said?”

Ziva put her feet in a small footprint and jammed her hands into her hips and tilted her head. “Yes, I heard. She's right. Nothing more about squirrels.” She raised a finger and raised an eyebrow. “Ever.” She smiled and turned to follow Tali.

Adam looked at Tony, then at Ethan. “What just happened there?”

Tony shrugged. “The little squirrel went too far and, well, she got what was coming to her.”

Ethan blinked. “So that's what karma means?”

Becky nodded. “Yup. That's why you don't mess with karma. She can be a bitch sometimes.” She shrugged and walked away.

Adam jumped up. “Dad! She said the B word!”

“Chill out, elf-let.” John laughed. “That's why you don't mess with _women_.”

“Let's eat!” McGee called out, holding the boxes of pizza. He turned to John and said in an undertone, “That's my boy.”

The younger ones got up off the couch and walked quickly to the kitchen to sit at the island. “Don't rush!” John called out as he took the boxes of pizza from McGee and walked to the kitchen and put them on the countertop. “There's plenty for everyone!”

“Paper plates for everyone!” Tali grabbed the stack of paper plates from the pantry and handed them out. “Napkins are there on the table.” She pointed them out.

The kids grabbed their slices of pizza as Tony, Ziva, and McGee hung back. When the kids had gotten their share, they got their own slices of pizza: Tony with the meat-lover, Ziva with the Hawaiian pizza, McGee with his pepperoni pizza.

“Ahhh, what a day.” Tony sighed as he took a bite of pizza and looked at the kids talking with each other at the table, enjoying their animated conversations.

Ziva chuckled. “I swear, I'm going to be dreaming of squirrels for a long time now.”

McGee snorted as he took a bite. “That was certainly interesting. You see how Tali turned the 'squirrel' thing into an advantage for herself?”

Tony made a whooshing sound as his free hand mimicked Tali's leg swiping Abby's legs out from under her. “And down she went, just like Humpty Dumpty.”

“Gear up!” The trio jumped slightly at the sudden voice. They looked at each other, then suddenly felt his presence.

“He behind me?” Tony automatically spoke, in a low tone, where only McGee and Ziva could hear him.

McGee laughed. “Hello, Boss.”

Ziva smiled. “He's here. With us.”

Tony rubbed the back of his head. “I just felt that.”

“Thanks. For all you've done.” The voice sounded in their minds again, and suddenly, they felt an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness. They sighed and smiled at the feeling, and they looked at the kids. They all shared a collective realization, that Gibbs was right, that they did their jobs to the best of their abilities, and that they did so in an outstanding manner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos, and keep in mind I welcome all reviews and comments about the story. Please note that any comments that are not about the story will be deleted.


	8. Generations

February 2036

“Any questions for me?” The lawyer stood up as he gathered up the legal paperwork making the ownership transfer official. 

Tony and Ziva stood up and shook the lawyer's hand. “No, I think that about covers it.” Tony smiled.

Ziva nodded and smiled at the lawyer. “Thank you so much for helping us out in time of need.”

The lawyer flashed a quick smile to both of them. “Not a problem. Always glad to work with, uhh, who was it, Jessica Houston?”

Ziva nodded again. “Yes, that's her. My sister. I understand she's in the same real estate law firm that you work for as well.”

“Yes, that's right, the same firm. Usually I cover a different territory but she asked me to cover for her. You know how it is, conflict of interest and all that.” The lawyer nodded as he put his folders into his briefcase.

“Ah, right.” Tony nodded as he perused his own copy of the transfer paperwork. “Glad that's one less thing to worry about with regard to Gibbs' estate.”

The lawyer looked up from closing his briefcase. “I heard that. Always a pain to deal with the paperwork afterwards.” He snapped the latches shut and stood the briefcase handle side up as he got ready to pick up the briefcase.

Tony walked toward the living room door as Ziva followed closely behind. “Yup. You have a good day, now.” He held the door open as the lawyer stepped out. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ethan and Adam moseying around Gibbs' living room exploring its nooks and crannies, as if they were looking for secret passages or hiding places. He called out to the boys. “Find anything interesting yet?”

Adam turned to Tony with a start, with Ethan following a split second later. Adam stood up. “Not much. You notice new things when you look up close, though. Things you've never noticed.”

Tony chuckled. “Tell me about it. Where are the others?”

“Basement, I guess.” Ethan shrugged as he answered Tony. He added the “curious looking around” sign.

“Oh, so they're looking around in there, gotcha. You gonna go down there soon?” Tony sighed. 

“Yeah, what about the house?” Adam asked.

Tony chuckled. “It's being taken care of, not to worry.” He patted Adam on the shoulder.

Adam looked up at Tony and smiled. “Okay. I think I'll go downstairs. More cool stuff down there anyway.”

Ethan quickly stood by Adam. “I'll go with you!”

Tony quickly stopped them. “No racing down the stairs now!” His voice had a slight chuckle to it, though.

Ziva gasped as the boys ran past her. “No running, either!” She called out to their backs.

“Okay!” Adam smiled at her as he rounded the corner to the basement stairs.

“Hey, now!” Ethan had reached the stairs second. “Wait up!” He dashed after Adam.

Ziva shook her head as she walked toward Tony. “These boys. Always getting into things.” She let out a short chuckle. “I think most of the real treasure is downstairs.”

“Good luck to them trying to figure out how to get that boat outta there, though.” Tony grimaced slightly as he scratched his head. “I don't see how you can get it up those stairs and through that door.”

Ziva looked Tony dead in his eyes. “You don't. There's no way. And the escape chute? Too small for it as well.”

“Escape chute?” Tony blinked his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Ziva stammered a bit. Her hands drew out a large rectangle as if on a wall. “You know, the little chute thing in the wall of the basement where a window would be?”

Understanding suddenly lit up on Tony's face. “Oh, the coal chute. You used it as an escape chute, though, right?”

“Yes, that.” Ziva nodded. “It's been sealed for years now.”

“Ah, yeah.” Tony's head turned to the sound of clattering from downstairs.

“Careful, now!” John held out his hand as AJ looked up with an “oops!” expression on his face.

“Didn't mean to knock over his jars full of bolts and screws.” AJ bent down to clean up the spilled hardware.

Ethan slowly walked around the boat, looking at awe at its magnificence. “How are we gonna get it out?”

Becky stepped up next to him. “I wish I knew.” She looked up at the doorway at the top of the stairs. “Not through that, that's for sure.”

Ethan looked up with Becky and laughed. “Yeah, figured that one out a long time ago. No shrinking ray, either.” He pantomined shrinking the boat and stuffing it into his pocket.

Adam laughed. “That'd be a great idea right there. You'd make big bucks inventing some sort of shrinking ray.” He clapped Ethan on his shoulder.

Becky chuckled. “You boys.” She went back to perusing through the stuff stored in the basement, seeing what next to start organizing and going through.

Just then, footsteps descended down the stairs. John and AJ looked up at the stairs to see McGee stopping halfway down the stairs and bending down to see them. “Everything okay down there?”

John smiled. “Yeah. Just a couple jars of hardware fell over when we moved something.”

“Ah. Sounded like a bank safe fell down there.” McGee raised an eyebrow.

AJ laughed along with John. “Nothing like that, no.” He looked at the boat. “You got any idea how this thing'll come out of this basement?”

McGee chuckled. “You know I have no idea. And the will was very clear. The boat is not to be destroyed in getting it out of the basement.”

“You know what this reminds me of?” John stood up from leaning on the workbench and walked toward McGee. “One of those ships in a bottle deal. You build the ship in the bottle, people wonder how you got the ship in that bottle.” He patted his hand gently on the boat then ran it across the gunwale. “Grandpa sure took this concept and turned it on its head. Figure out how to get the boat out of the basement.”

McGee paused. “I've never really considered it that way. Interesting concept.” He turned to go back upstairs, leaving them to explore in the basement further. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down toward John. “Have fun exploring more. Just be careful down there, okay?”

John chuckled as he watched McGee retreat. “Yup, do our best,” he said toward McGee's back.

McGee entered the kitchen, bumping into Tony and Ziva, who had poured out their coffees. McGee sighed as he walked over to the coffee machine and poured himself out a cup. He turned around and took a thoughtful sip of his coffee while looking at Tony. After a moment, he said, “It seems like Gibbs left the house to us, so our kids can figure out this riddle. At least all his stuff down there's taken care of, all stacked up ready to go.”

Tony shrugged. “I'm not so positive about that old TV, though. Just as well, it quit working the same day Gibbs... well, you know.” He sighed, then let out a short chuckle.

Ziva took a seat as she opened the box of documents. She took out a large folder out of the box. “Take a look at this.” She opened the folder and flipped a couple of pages over. “Gibbs wants to leave all his tools and woodworking supplies to John and AJ.”

“Oh, makes perfect sense. I remember those days Gibbs would take AJ and John down there help him with his wood projects from time to time. AJ sure picked up a lot from him.” Tony chuckled as he looked up at Ziva.

McGee chuckled along with them. “Oh yeah, John really enjoyed coming here to help Gibbs with his projects as well. Those two had a good time with him, I'll say that much.”

Ziva smiled at McGee. “Those riddles the boys came home with, also. I could never figure some of them out, but that's what makes it all the more interesting.” She turned back to the documents. “According to this, Becky gets some books that she's always liked. And Tali got some nice things that Gibbs had always wanted her to have, and it looks like we share ownership of this house.” She looked up from the documents. “Here's the thing. Who will live here? Can't leave this house empty, can we?”

Tony's mouth moved, but only a mutter came out. He winced slightly as he reached up and scratched the back of his head.

McGee looked at Tony for a moment and flicked up his eyebrows. He pointed a finger in the air as he turned to Ziva. “Ziva, I think I may have an idea here. How about John and I live here, and sell that house we got now?”

Ziva and Tony looked at each other for a moment, raising their eyebrow, then turned back to McGee. Tony spoke up, “Well-played, Elflord. A grand idea. This house'll be just perfect for you and John.” Tony patted McGee's shoulder as he chuckled.

McGee nodded and smiled. “Yeah, that's for sure.”  
  


Ziva smiled at McGee. “Yes, sell it and move on. Live here with Johnny. Tony's right, we'll still be by to check on you often.” She nodded at McGee. “Don't want you to grow lonely, now, do we?”

McGee chuckled. “No, we don't. Got my computers, but nothing will replace friends.”

Tony patted McGee's shoulder. “Hey McGeek. We'll be just fine, growing old together and sticking with each other. Yes, you got your computer so you can write all you want, but most importantly you got your friends here.” Tony ribbed at McGee. “After all, who else could I turn to for Elf-lord education?” He guffawed.

Ziva chuckled. “Nothing ever changes with you two.” She batted Tony on the arm as she chuckled. “Once we get everything settled in, that'll be a weight off my shoulders. One day at a time.”

“You can say that again.” McGee smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket to look at the time. 

Ziva smiled. “One day at a time.”

McGee looked up. “Yup. Well, I think it's time that I hit the road and head on home for the night.

Tony nodded. “Alright, sounds good. Perfect time, too, because I think we need to get going, right, Ziva?”

Ziva looked up at Tony and nodded. “Oh yeah, we need to get packed because we're leaving in a few days.”

Tony looked at Ziva with a slightly pained look. “Remind me again, we're going where again?”

Ziva tilted her head and looked Tony dead in his eyes. “Our daughter's getting married?”

McGee laughed. “Surely you couldn't have forgotten such an important event now, have you?”

Ziva landed a gentle headslap on the back of Tony's head. “You have't forgotten?”

“Oof!” Tony rubbed the back of his head. “No, no, I haven't. Just a lot on my mind, is all. Plus it just hasn't really sunk in yet that Tali's actually getting married.” He sighed and looked around.

“Well?” McGee looked at Tony. “What are you doing here? Go! Get ready for your big trip, my man.” He pushed Tony gently toward the door.

“Wait, let me get the kids.” Tony turned and called for the kids to come up.

Ziva and McGee turned to each other and laughed. “Thanks for everything. Hang in there and keep in touch with us.” She smiled at McGee and patted his shoulder, then turned and walked out after Tony and the kids.

A few days later, on a bright Valentine's day, Ziva spent her time with Tali in her bedroom, helping her into her wedding dress, Rivka fussing over the veil while Becky was straightening out the wedding train. Tali looked at herself, checking her hair once more, making sure that the bun-style hairdo was just so. Rivka stepped back from Tali and looked over the wedding attire, smiling in satisfaction.

“Alright, you look beautiful in that dress. Here, let me give you something.” Rivka walked over to her handbag and pulled out a small, long rectangular box. “I think this will go well with your dress,” she said, opening the box and carefully pulling out a necklace. She gently put it around Tali's neck and did up the clasp. Stepping back once again, she said, “Now, what do you think?”

Ziva looked at Tali's necklace and smiled. “Beautiful. I think you're ready now, right?” She gently ran her fingers over the necklace, then looked at the centerpiece a little closer. “Goes very well with your dress.”

“Aw Savta, thank you for everything. I am so glad you are here for this day. I love you too” Tali raised her eyebrow with a smile, hugging Rivka. She then turned to Ziva. “And you too, Ima. This really is special to me, having both of you here to see me get married.” 

Becky turned to Rivka. “I think everything's set with this long thing, the wedding train, you called it?”

Rivka nodded. But before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Rivka and Ziva jumped slightly and looked toward the door. “Go see who it is, Becky, will you?” Ziva asked.

“Sure, Ima.” Becky went to the door and stopped just before opening the door. “Who is it?” Becky asked through the door.

Instead of a spoken answer, she got another door knock. This time Ziva and Becky recognized who it was. Ziva looked at Becky. “That must be your Dad. Go ahead and open the door for him, please.”

As soon as Becky opened the door, Tony poked his head through the door, smiling. “Can I come in?” he asked, putting on a James Bond-like air and tone in his voice. As the door swung open wider, Tony stepped into the door frame and spread his hands in the air with a smile, all dressed up in his best.

Tali smiled and spoke up. “Oh, hi, Daddy! Come in please.” Tali was bursting inside with cheerful and happy tears, ecstatic about the upcoming day, about having her parents be here on this big day.

“Gladly.” Tony stepped into the room and reached out his arms in the air toward Tali. “Oh my darling, you look so beautiful in that dress. Reminds me of your Ima in that dress when we got married.” Tony walked up to Tali's side and gave her a hug, being careful with her dress. With his free arm, he encircled Ziva with a hug. He hugged both at the same time and smiled. 

Tali chuckled. “Seems like only yesterday I was hiding out in the folds of this dress from the wedding photographer. Now I'm getting married in it.”

Tony let out a snicker. “Yeah, I remember that. Did your Ima make sure there weren't any for any potential stowaways inside your dress?”

“Oh, pfft!” Ziva chuckled and batted Tony on the arm.

Tali laughed out loud. “No stowaways, I promise!”

Becky laughed, then looked at Tony, then back to Ziva. “All good now?” She had finished straightening out the wedding train a while ago and was watching the exchange.

Ziva looked up at Rivka, who nodded. Rivka stood up. “Alright, I think that's all for now. I'll go and make sure the guests are all settled in.”

Becky jumped up, smiling. “I'll go help, Savta.”

“Splendid idea.” Ziva smiled. “Make sure the boys know their roles, okay? They're ushering people to their seats.”

Becky nodded, then Rivka walked by Ziva, giving her a wink then guided Becky out of the room, leaving Tony and Ziva with Tali.

Once Rivka and Becky had left the room, Tali turned to Tony and Ziva. “I can't believe today's the day already – me, getting married. It means the world to me to have you both here on this day.” Tali reached out and patted Ziva on the arm, then hugged the both of them. “I love you both.”

After the hugs, Ziva stepped back and looked at Tali with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. “I'm so proud of you, Tali. This is one of the best things for me to see. You, getting married to Ben. And starting a family in just a couple months' time, no less!” She clasped her hands together. “Ever since we reunited, I've watched you grow into a fine young woman. Capable.” She sighed with happiness. “It amazes me how much you've grown.”

Tony chuckled. “You got that right, hun.” He turned to Tali. “I have faith in you, and how your family will turn out. We'll be there for you, always.”

Tali smiled. “And thank  _ you _ for being there for me, especially through the rough times.”

“That's what parents are for, right?” Tony chuckled.

Ziva smiled, then walked to the door. “I'll check to see if everyone's ready.” She opened the door and stuck her head out to look around the room. Moments later, she stepped back. “They're ready.”

Tony walked to the door. “Ready, Tali?”

“Let's do it.” Tali smiled and walked toward Tony, then took his arm and walked out to the wedding.

~~Tiva~~

In the month of July 2037, at the Rose Hill home, Tony was sitting at the table under the tent, smiling as everyone at the table sang their happy birthday's to Tony and Brett. A mix of “Happy Birthday to you, Dad / Happy Birthday to you, Tony / Happy Birthday to you, Brett Joseph” was heard in the chorus, and Tony chuckled. He leaned over to Ziva and whispered, “Can't believe Brett was born on my birthday, can you?”

Ziva leaned over to catch what Tony said. “Amazing, isn't it?” She laughed as she saw someone put a small slice of cake on the high chair table in front of Brett, who enthusiastically smushed his hands into the cake, then grabbed handfuls and brought them up to his mouth to eat.

Everybody aww'ed at Brett. “How cute!” someone said. Ziva didn't catch who it was, but she looked up and saw that it was Ben, who stepped up to Brett, laughing as he videoed Brett. “Say Hi to Abba!”

“Awww, let's get that cake off your face.” Tali knelt in front of Brett with a napkin in her hand, and she started wiping away the cake. “There you go. All clean!” She smiled.

Brett chortled. “Abba! Ima!” He held out his hands, which still had pieces of cake on them.

“Oh, you want your hands clean, too? I got 'em.” Tali wiped his hands clean with the napkin, smiling at him. “You like the cake?”

Brett nodded and clapped his hands.

“Brett, look at me!” Ben was waving and smiling while holding the video camera. “It's your birthday today!”

Brett held out a finger in the air, pointing toward the camera. He let out a hearty chortle. “Abba!”

Ben chuckled as he saw Brett's fingertip become magnified and out of focus as the fingertip came closer to the camera's lens. “Yes, Abba's here!” He moved the camera back just a hair before Brett's finger could touch and smudge the lens.

Tali laughed. “Hey, birthday boy. Having fun?” She tousled Brett's hair with just her fingertips.

Brett jumped up and down in the high chair and chortled, slapping his hands onto the high chair table.

Ziva chuckled. “Easy child to take care of, huh?”

Tali glanced at Ziva. “Oh, he's been very easy, not too fussy. I was a little concerned at first, but no, everything's been very smooth.” Suddenly, Tali hiccuped and a look of disgust crossed her face. “Ooh, I've been having this heartburn every so often.”

Tony sat up a little straighter. “See a doctor about that?”

Tali looked at Tony. “I did, and he said that's normal, considering that I've got another elflet on the way now.”

Tony dropped the drink he was holding. The drink hit the table and went flying over the edge, luckily missing everyone. He jumped up and scrambled to clean up the mess.

“What did you just say, Tali?” Ziva looked at Tali, shock registering on her face. “Another _elflet_?”

Tali laughed. “Due seven months from now. I feel like this one's going to be a girl.”

Ben chuckled. “Maybe the baby will be a boy, who knows.” He had a bit of a hope that another boy would arrive, but knew that it was up to fate whether the baby would be a boy or girl.

Ziva chuckled. “You're not joking, are you?”

Tali laughed. “Nope. Happy birthday, Dad.” She reached over and patted Tony on his back.

“Gee, thanks for the surprise.” Tony chuckled. “Another grand-elflet to come. Never gonna hear the end of this from McGeek.” He shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

“At least they're the good guys. Our family.” Ziva smiled and batted Tony on his arm.

“Any big plans for your family?” Tony smiled at Ben.

Ben laughed. “Well, I guess continue what I'm doing. Provide for the family in the best manner possible.”

Tony nodded. “With that position up at Mossad? Should have no problem with that.” Tony glanced at Ziva.

Ziva nodded. She still didn't totally trust the Mossad, even after all these years. She never forgot the treatment that she had gotten from her own father while working for the Mossad. “Do not let the job stand in the way of family.” She reached out to Ben and patted his shoulder, smiling at him. “Remember that, always.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Ben smiled and nodded. “Do my best to take care of Tali and my family.”

Tony smiled. “What a twist to the birthday party, huh? Finding out you've got an elflet on the way? Never thought I'd be hearing that on my birthday.” He laughed at Tali.

Tali tilted her head. “What better way to wrack your mind than announce it on your birthday?”

“You got me good there,” Tony said, chuckling. 

~~Tiva~~

At the Olive Grove Home, Rivka walked to the kitchen wall and looked at the calendar, where some notes had been scribbled on it. The calendar showed the month of March, 2038. She sighed. It had been only a couple of months since Ben and Tali had moved to their new house, built just a short walk down the street from her house. “Can't believe everything happened so quickly.”

Ziva was sitting on couch next to Tali, holding her brand new granddaughter in her arms. The baby was peacefully sleeping wrapped in her blanket sleeping in Ziva's arms. Tali leaned closer. “Oh Ima, Sarah Elisheva's so cute. Look at her, sleeping there.” She looked up and smiled at Ziva.

Ziva gently stroked Sarah's cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin. “The name, it's beautiful. My grandmother, your dad's mother.”

Tali nodded, hugging Ziva. “I've learned a lot from you and Savta.'

Sarah suddenly stirred and and moved her arms around. She had a fussy sound in her voice, as if she was going to cry.

“Oh!” Ziva looked at Sarah and gently rocked her as she looked into her face. She then looked up at Tali. “I think she wants her Ima.” Ziva chuckled as she held the baby out for Tali.

“Come to Ima, Sarah.” Tali held out her hands, and took the baby into her arms. “Let's get you some food, okay?” She turned and walked out of the room with Sarah.

About half an hour later, dinner was ready to be served, and the entire family gathered at the table. As the family sat down, Tony surveyed the scene. Looking at each person in turn, he contemplated how things have gone throughout his family's life. He sighed, memories flowing through his mind, at how his family had grown over the years.

Ziva looked over at Tony and smiled. “You alright, hon?”

Tony looked over at Ziva. “Oh yeah, I'm just dandy. Look at our family, how much it's grown.”

Ziva chuckled. “Oh yeah. Amazing, huh? Just when you think she's done for now, you get a crooked ball.” Ziva responded before digging in her chicken stirfry.

“Curve ball, you mean.” Before Tony could say something further, his ears picked out a baby crying. He stopped mid-sentence and looked at Tali.

Tali was talking and laughing with her siblings, when she heard the baby start crying. “Oh, is that the baby?”

Ben stood up, “Sounds like the babies are up. You wanna get Sarah while I get Brett?” Ben looked down at Tali.

Tali let out a short chuckle and got up. “Sounds like a plan.” She walked with Ben to tend to the babies.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other. “Learning the ins and outs of parenting, just like we did.” He shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

Ziva chuckled. “Maybe we could let them have a couple hours' time to themselves when they're letting the babies sleep. What do you think?”

Tony raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Don't see why not. They could use a little break every so often.”

Moments later, Ben entered the room. “They're okay, just needed changing. Tali's got things under control.”

Tony chuckled. “Got gassed out of there, huh?” He ribbed Ben. “Those diapers, you gotta watch out for 'em.”

Ben laughed. “Still got my Mossad issue gas mask around here, somewhere.” He walked over to his chair and sat down in it with a sigh.

“Figuring out how to juggle things with two kids now?” Tony nodded in the direction of the kids' rooms. He knew from experience that every little break counted when you're taking care of two very young children on very little sleep and even less food.

“I'll manage,” Ben smiled at Tony.

“What I propose to you is this: we watch your babies as they sleep while you take your wife out for a couple of hours. Some fresh air, you know.” Ziva tilted her head at Ben and raised an eyebrow.

Before Ben could answer, Tali walked into the room. “I could use some fresh air.” She walked over and sat next to Ben. “What do you say?” She looked Ben in his eyes.

“Well, they were offering anyway.” Ben held out a hand toward Tony and Ziva, smiling at them. He looked back at Tali. “I do admit, we could get out for a couple hours.”

“Sounds good.” Tali's face brightened into a smile. She turned to Tony and Ziva. “Thank you for offering to take care of the babies while we have our time together.” Both Tali and Ben got up and left.

A few hours later, Ben and Tali came back. As they opened the door, they noticed Tony, Ziva and Rivka on their recliners. Tony had been dozing, he had awakened at the sound of the door. Ziva was talking with Becky, who was sitting on the floor in front of Ziva. Tali cocked her ears because she was hearing other sounds in the distance. As she closed the door gently, she looked through the back windows. “Is that Ethan and Adam out there?”

Tony looked up through the window. “Yeah, they're doing their astronomy thing, as usual. AJ's out there also.”

“Oh, okay. I don't see AJ out there.” Tali walked closer to the window, and then saw AJ come into view. “Oh, there he is. Look, Ben, AJ's got a bigger telescope, by the looks of it.” She turned back toward Tony and Ziva. “How're the babies? Where's Savta?”

As Ben stepped away to look outside the window, Ziva said, “Savta went to bed, she was tired. Babies are doing just fine, slept the whole time.”

Tali's shoulders slumped slightly. “Oh, great. Another long night for me.”

Ben turned from the window and laughed. “If the babies sleep too long, we get the dueling crying babies.”

Tony chuckled. “Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.” He licked his finger and made an imaginary mark in the air.

Tali and Ben laughed. “You're being silly, Dad.” Tali batted Tony on his arm.

Ziva tilted her head toward Tali. “Your dad's right. We did the same thing with AJ and Becky. Then the twins.” She shrugged and held her hands up in the air. “Good challenge for you now.”

“I guess one good thing came out of my training.” Ziva turned to Ben. He shrugged, then continued what he was saying. “How to function on little sleep. Just never thought it'd be useful in raising a family as well.” He sighed. “It's good to have a little break, to catch a little breath.”

Ziva chuckled. “Plenty of that to come, but you will be rewarded down the road. I have confidence in you and Tali, that you will raise good children.” She reached out and grasped his shoulders. “It gets better over time.”

“Thanks, Ziva.” Ben smiled. “Good to know that I have your support. Tell me, is that the same telescope that AJ had in the States?”

Ziva shook her head. “I think he got a larger model this time. He said something about a 20-inch primary mirror.”

Tali looked at Ziva. “What? Last time I saw him he had a sixteen, or an eighteen? I can't remember.”

Tony laughed. “Yeah, I think he sold it to get this telescope. He's already talking about an even bigger telescope.”

Ben shook his head. “What does he need a bigger telescope for?”

Tony chuckled. “At the rate he's going, he's going to need an observatory on his house before he could even go bigger with his telescope. I can just see it now. Us pulling up to an ordinary looking house, and then we step into the backyard – boom. Mini Kitt Peak Observatory.”

Ziva laughed and batted Tony on his arm. “You and your humor. I'm sure he'll be fine.”

Becky laughed. “Somehow that wouldn't surprise me. He's talked about dreaming about his own house with an observatory. Even draws out plans for 'em.”

“Really? Floor plans and everything?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

Becky nodded. “He brings his drawings to me and asks for my feedback. He's not the best at the actual drawing part, but his ideas – spot on.” She shrugged. “What he can't always picture, I can bring to life for him. His observatory calls for a thirty-inch mirror in the telescope. Where's he getting the glass?”

Tony guffawed. “Wow. Thirty inches of mirror? That's gonna be a beast. I'd hate to be the guy transporting it. Hit one bump and hear this ugly...” He made a glass-breaking sound effect, then continued. “He might as well just put it in park and walk home, knowing he's fired because he done broke the mirror.”

Ziva tilted her head and looked Tony dead in his eyes. “Not to mention the paperwork he's gonna have to fill out. No way am I going to be paying for that much glass.”

“No worries about that. AJ said it's coming out of his own pocket, but won't be for a few years yet.” Becky chuckled.

Ziva looked at Becky. “You know this how?”

Becky shrugged. “AJ's been talking about his long-range plans, what he wants to do when he gets out of high school. Astronomy school, then his own observatory.”

“Ooh, ambitious.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Looks like he's on the right track for himself, though.” 

Ziva nodded. “Pursuing his dreams. What about you, Becky?”

Becky frowned for a moment, as if in thought. “Hm. You know, I haven't really thought about it much. I know I like anything to do with designing, painting, drawing, that kind of stuff.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “That much we can see. You're rocking those paintings, I'm telling you.” He pointed to the paintings hanging on the living room wall. “And some of those designs and drawings you've done in the past, you could make money off of those.”

Becky chuckled. “Yeah, well, I'll have to think about what I want to do. Do my research.” She shrugged. “Maybe I'll find something that I can do that makes use of all of my skills. Add new skills too.”

Ziva nodded. “Plenty of art schools out there, as well. Maybe talk with a couple, see what they have to offer.”

“Yeah, I could do that.” Becky nodded to Ziva.

Tony took a deep breath, then planted his hands on the arms of his recliner and pushed himself up, grunting in the process. “I gotta go check on the others. Wanna come with?” He walked up to Ben.

Ben stepped back from the window and faced Tony. “Sure, I'll come with you.” He made a beeline toward the back door, meeting Tony there.

Becky jumped up. “I wanna come with you, Dad!”

Tony turned toward Becky before he opened the door. “Sure, you can come. Might catch some nice views through his new telescope.” He turned the knob and stepped out.

Ben and Becky followed Tony out the back door, leaving Tali and Ziva alone in the living room.

“So, Tali.” Ziva turned to face Tali. “Ima to daughter, how have you been doing these days?”

Tali let out a sigh. She had a small, tired smile on her face. “Good. Exhausting, some days. Still, I'm happy to be a mom – their Ima. Gives me something to look forward to every day now.”

Ziva nodded and smiled. “That's good. Any challenges you run up against, keep in mind we're there for you whenever you need. Always know that even though you have your family, I'm still your Ima and I'll be there for you any time you need me. Your dad's there for you as well.”

Tali chuckled. “Well, my biggest challenge right now is trying to balance these two babies, on top of helping Savta out whenever she needs the help.” She tilted her head. “I mean, I've been wondering about Savta's other kids. Where were they all these years?”

Ziva tilted her head. “What about them? I guess they chose to be too busy. I'm not sure.” She shrugged.

“Well, it doesn't really make any sense. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind helping Savta out and all that. But I'd been thinking lately about them. How we practically never see them.”

“Well, we'll help out whenever we can. You can count on that.” Ziva smiled. “She's my Ima, too.”

Tali chuckled. “True. You got a deal.”

  
A few days later, after they had flown back home to the States, Tony, Ziva and their family had gone to their beach home to enjoy the nice weekend there, and the weather was just perfect for them to enjoy the beach and the fresh salt air coming in off the ocean. As they were walking along the surf line, Tony recognized two figures walking toward them. “Whaddaya think of the weather?” He called out to the two approaching figures.

“Just grand!” McGee's voice drifted back toward Tony. He chuckled and let McGee and John approach them.

“Hope you've been having a good time!” Ziva called out to them. “Good to see you two today.”

McGee stopped before Tony. He looked at Ziva, then Tony. “Fancy seeing you here on this fine day. Didn't expect to see you here.”

Tony waved his hand in the air. “Ah, you know. Wanted to get out of the house, enjoy the fresh air. Maybe find Captain Blackbeard's treasure out them in them thar sand dunes.” He pointed out toward where AJ, Ethan, and Adam were beach combing. After a moment, Becky came into view from behind a sand dune.

John looked over to the others beach combing, then turned back to McGee. “I'll join 'em.” He started off down the beach to meet the group.

“Oh, look, there's Becky!” Ziva pointed out toward the group. “Didn't see her at first.”

Tony nodded. “Oh, yeah, there she is.” They turned to walk toward the deck abutting the beach, and sat at the table.

“So, how was your trip?” McGee sighed as he sat down.

Ziva smiled. “Wonderful. Got to see the grandbabies, they're so cute. Tali's doing wonderful there.”

McGee raised an eyebrow. “That's good to hear. One new family starting a new life.”

Ziva looked out toward the group, looking for a few moments. Then she looked back at the two. “Biggest challenge for her is to stay awake. The babies sure keep her jumping.”

Tony chuckled. “They keep her hopping, you mean.” He turned to McGee. “Well, about par for the course, compared to what we went through, twice.”

McGee chuckled. “Yup, I remember those bags under your eyes those long sleepless nights.”

Tony shook his head and laughed. “Running on God knows what little sleep you can get and -” His eyes caught sight of something. “Huh?”

McGee turned to see what Tony had seen. “What was it?”

Tony blinked a couple of times, and said more to himself, “Nah, couldn't have been.”

Ziva sat up a little straighter. She had seen what Tony had seen, but said nothing. This was something she had suspected was happening for some time now, but wanted to let Tony see for himself.

McGee saw the slightly confused look on Tony's face. “Something you saw?”

“Not sure.” He sat back. “Anyway, as I was saying, raising kids born close to each other in age, that's a big challenge.”

McGee laughed. “You said it. How's Ben been taking it?”

Tony smiled. “Well, he's hanging in there. Bags under his eyes and all.” He shifted himself in his chair, and looked out at the group. After a moment, he sat a little straighter, and a slightly pained look crept across his face. He turned toward McGee. “Did you just see what I saw over there?” Tony slowly raised his arm up and pointed toward the group wandering around down the beach. He could see Becky and John holding hands together.

McGee laughed under his breath, “Oh. Looks like you might be planning for more grand Elflets soon, by the look of things over there.” McGee raised his eyebrow, nodding his head toward the group of kids.

Tony gasped as if he just got wracked by McGee. “I'm not ready for more elflets running around like maniacs.” He turned to Ziva. “Did you know about this?”

Ziva leaned forward and looked at Tony. “For a while, now.” She smiled.

Tony looked pained at Ziva, “How long?” He looked back at the group, looking for Becky and John, finally locating them some distance away from the main group. “Oh, there they are, they're over there.”

Ziva sighed with a chuckle, “Yes, Tony. They've been together for a couple of months now. Becky and I talked about him and their relationship.”

Tony turned to Ziva. “Really? That's news to me. I mean, I knew they liked each other, but didn't know they were into each other like that.” He twisted his index and middle finger together and held it up in the air.

McGee smiled gently. “I've noticed that also. Look at them, they seem to click so well together.” He pointed a finger toward them. “A little surprise for me, to tell you the truth. I always figured that John would pick another woman, and he did have his eyes on her, but it didn't last. This one, somehow I feel more at ease with.” McGee gave a thumb up.

Ziva nodded. “I feel confident that they will do good together. More Elflets in our family, Tony.” She smiled and patted him on his back.

Tony nodded and laughed. “Yeah, I think so, too. Now we have one child away being happy with her own family. Four more to go.” Tony spoke gently, looking at the kids running around on the beach, listening to the roar of the waves crashing onto the beach.

McGee looked out over the ocean. “Seeing our kids become adults and have families of their own, that's one of the most rewarding things to see, I think. Look over there. That's one other thing I get to see, my son falling in love over there.”

Tony looked back toward John and Becky. He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, they're kissing each other!”

Ziva patted Tony on his arm. “Shush, it's okay. It's not the end of the world.” She chuckled at his reaction.

McGee could only raise his eyebrows and smile. He shook his head at Tony and held out his hands in the air and shrugged.

Tony turned back to Ziva. “You said they've been with each other for a couple months, now?”

Ziva looked Tony dead in his eyes. “Don't tell me you've missed all the signs. You know how observant I can be.”

“Uhm.” Tony cleared his throat and looked at McGee for some support. McGee said nothing, but shrugged and smiled. “You, too?” He asked McGee.

McGee laughed, then got up out of his chair. “Now you know. I'll be back. Gotta go in for a bit.” He patted Tony's shoulder as he walked past him into the house.

'Catch up with you later.” Tony said to McGee as he walked past. He sighed, then turned to Ziva. “Well. What do you think?”

Ziva raised an eyebrow, then reached out and took one of Tony's hands. “About everything? I think they're going well, for once.”

Tony sat up a little straighter, and looked off at the sun setting into the ocean. His peripheral vision caught sight of the kids running around on the beach, but he paid them little mind. “No, about Becky and John.”

Ziva moved closer to Tony and leaned her head into his shoulder. “I wouldn't mind them together. They look cute together. It's like they just click with each other.” She snapped a finger.

“Mm.” Tony wrapped his arm around Ziva and drew her closer and hugged her. “Yeah, I think it'll work out.” He turned to Ziva and planted a kiss on top of her head, then turned back to look out at the sunset.

Ziva chuckled. “I guess one more wedding to plan for in the future, maybe.”

Tony let out a short laugh. “Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Take it one day at a time.”

Ziva turned to look at the group of kids, then shifted her gaze to the sunset. “It's beautiful, the sunset shining off the ocean like that.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. Peaceful, too. With the kids off in the distance like that, some quiet, as well.” He turned to Ziva. “Just perfect for us.”

Ziva sighed and snuggled herself a little closer to Tony. “Feels good to be out here. Holding you and enjoying this together.” She stroked the hair on Tony's arm.

Tony smiled and held Ziva closer to him. “Never miss it for the world. Love you, my sweetcheeks.” Tony planted a full-on kiss on Ziva's lips.

Ziva returned the kiss, and then when they were done, she stroked his cheek. “I love you, my Tony.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers, Thank you for Kudos, messages and tweets.


	9. Premonitions

**A/N: Hello readers! This two-part series is packed with emotions. Tony and Ziva experience a sudden tragedy the likes of which they never had thought would happen to them. Will the DiNozzo family fall apart? Will they make it through together? Will Tony and Ziva make it through this or one of them split? Be prepared, have a box of tissues in hand! I want credit the seed for this story to this awesome TivaFanFic writer, one of best writing buddies, Jen. Thank you, Jen.**

As Ziva sat at the kitchen table pouring over the weekly schedule on her laptop, she looked out the window, taking in the drab grey morning view. _Sure looks cold out there,_ she thought to herself. Her eyes looked down at the planner, on the month of October 2038. As she peered through her reading glasses at the busy schedule, she heard footsteps making their way to the kitchen. She looked up and smiled as Tony entered. “Good morning, Tony.”

Tony walked toward to Ziva and bent over to kiss her. “Hi Ziva, good morning.” He stood back up and stretched out. “I did not realize I slept hard. Woke up, you weren't there, so I got up because I figured you would be here.” Tony looked down and smiled at Ziva, leaning over and giving her a kiss before walking to get cup of coffee.

Ziva smiled then turn back to her laptop. “The quiet helps me to think. I thought I would let you sleep for a bit.” Ziva fell silent for a moment, looking at the weekly planner. “You do realize we got a full week, right?” Ziva waved her hands in the air, looking up at Tony as he walked back to the kitchen table.

Tony set his coffee mug down on the table, then pulled out the chair and sat by Ziva. He fished for his reading glasses in the top pocket of his robe. “Let me see now.” He pulled the laptop closer to him so he could look at the schedule. He then turned back to Ziva. “Wow, you're right. Busy week, indeed. What's the doctor's appointment for?” He pointed toward Ethan's name in the schedule, noting the name of the audiologist.

Ziva looked at Tony. “Mapping appointment. Also, Ethan says he thinks his sound processors aren't working right. Cutting in and out sometimes, he said. We'll see what's going on tomorrow.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, he did say something about it. He said sometimes if he just moves his head a certain way one sound processor cuts out, and then when he moves another way the other one cuts out. Dunno what to make of it. He's getting a little frustrated with it.”

“I see. Good to know more of how the processors are behaving.” Ziva turned back to her laptop, perusing the schedule, thoughtful. She had sensed something in Tony, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

Tony took a sip of coffee, looking at Ziva. When she didn't expand further on what she had said, Tony leaned over and looked closer at Ziva. “Hey, are you alright?”

Ziva snapped out of her thoughts. She looked up at Tony, reaching up to scratch her head. “I'm not sure. Can't put a finger on it.” She looked around the room and sighed. “Sure is quiet here. Can't believe that AJ has his own apartment now in Alexandria.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah. Astrophysics? Good major, I'd say. He sure loved looking at the stars, that's for sure.”

Ziva chuckled lightly. “Oh, did you know he's possibly seeing a girl?” She smiled. “He's been seeing a Channah. Seems to be a sweet girl, from what he says.” She smiled and batted her eyes at Tony. “They might be a thing, who knows?”

Tony chuckled. “Oh really? That's nice.” He then tilted his head, and his expression changed to that of curiosity. “And now we have Becky and the twins.”

Ziva nodded once. “Won't be long before Becky goes off on her own. Makes sense right now for her to stay while she's going to school in Alexandria and being close to John.” Ziva started to knead her hands in thought, an undercurrent of anxiety just starting to creep up. She shook her head to herself, ever so imperceptibly.

  
Tony must have seen it, for he moved closer and held Ziva's hands. “Ziva, they'll be alright. Even though they're not here much, or at all now, they're only a half hour away.” Tony smiled at her reassuringly. “They'll be just fine.”

Ziva looked at Tony. “Don't forget, we have the twins. Five more years with them.” She smiled.

Tony nodded and smiled. “Yes. We also are grandparents, so we have them as well. Tali'll come over and visit from time to time. Did Adam and Ethan ever tell you what their goals were?”

“Oh yeah, Adam mentioned something to me about wanting to be an audiologist.” Ziva raised her eyebrows. “I think he saw what Ethan has gone through with his implants, and how they have helped him tremendously. Honestly, I think that is wonderful. Right up his alley.” She smiled.

Tony's eyes brightened and he smiled at the thought of having a son being a doctor. “Dr. Adam DiNozzo, please come to the Audiology department, there's someone who's unable to hear instructions and his wife's getting frustrated here.” He mimicked talking into a PA system paging a doctor.

Ziva tilted her eyes and rolled her eyes, but her eyes were smiling along with the smirk on her lips. “Very funny. Honestly, I think that's very admirable of Adam to want this.”

Tony nodded with a chuckle, “Oh yeah, if that is what he wants, we'll be behind him every step of the way, right?” Tony looked at Ziva with a chuckle.

Ziva looked up at Tony, “I don't see why he wouldn't excel in his major. Imagine, Adam helping his own brother with his hearing.”

Before Tony could say something, Ethan walked into the kitchen, then as soon as he saw them, he smiled at Ziva and Tony. “Good morning, Ima and Dad,” he said, while he signed “Good morning” in conjunction.

Ziva looked up at Ethan and smiled. “Good morning. Good rest last night?” Ziva tilted her head, placing her chin in her fists, using her arms as a tripod on the kitchen table.

Ethan nodded, but before he could say something in reply, Adam walked into the kitchen and as he passed around Tony and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good morning everybody!”

“Good morning,” Tony said automatically.

Ziva pinned Adam's eyes with a look of her own and shook her head once. “Were you up late playing videogames last night? Thought I was dreaming video-game sounds in my sleep until I woke up to go to the bathroom last night.”

Adam chuckled and turned to Ziva. “Yeah, I played some video game with Ethan last night because I couldn't sleep.”

Ethan signed “Yes” in the air, as he said, “Yeah, he woke me up and we blasted a bunch of space aliens into oblivion.”

Ziva chuckled. “Well, it sounded like you were having fun last night, from the game sounds I was hearing. So, who won?” She chuckled.

“Adam!” Ethan pointed to Adam.

Simultaneously, Adam pointed to Ethan. “Ethan!”

Tony looked at the boys and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you both got tied?” Tony looked askance at the boys, as if in disbelief, but not in a serious manner.

The boys laughed at Tony's disbelieving look at them and then they looked at each other. Their eyes said volumes between each other. They both then looked back at Tony and Ziva and Adam said, “Well, maybe if we had a couple of rounds and we won one each.”

Ziva and Tony looked at each other, then chuckled as they looked at the boys. Ziva sighed then said, “Alright you boys. What do you say, after breakfast, you both help your father with raking the leaves and fixing that gate in the back? I'll be out in a bit after I finish doing some things on my laptop.”

Ethan and Adam looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders slightly. “Yeah, I don't mind helping out,” Ethan said.

Adam nodded. “Teamwork, right? Makes things go quicker.”

Ethan smiled. “Definitely.”

After breakfast, the boys headed out with Tony to the backyard. Ziva returned to her laptop, her cellphone next to the laptop. As she made some phone calls, she looked out the window from time to time, watching the progress as the guys worked on fixing the broken gate, and watching as the small pile of leaves grew larger and larger as she made her own progress with the scheduling and phone calls.

Once Ziva had completed all of her business, she sighed and closed the laptop and got up and walked over to the window to see where the guys were. Locating where they were, she smiled to herself as she walked through the back door outside. She walked over to Tony, who was leaning on his rake as he was catching his breath. “Good size pile of leaves you got there.” She turned to look at Tony. “Alright there?”

Tony turned around to Ziva and chuckled lightly. “Yeah. Just about done. They're finishing up the leaves.” He nodded his head toward the twins who had just disappeared behind the monstrous pile of leaves.

Ziva saw them disappear behind the leaf pile. “What do you say, we sneak up on them?” She winked and smiled as she whispered to Tony.

Tony let out a small quiet chuckle. “I had the feeling you'd say that. Let's go have a little fun.” Tony smiled as he took Ziva's hand and started slowly walking toward the leaf pile.

Ziva grinned, then made a show of looking around for the boys. “Oh, where are the boys?” Ziva wondered out loud, walking slowly toward the leaf pile. “I could have sworn I saw 'em standing there, and they just disappeared on us!”

Tony sniggered slightly, stifling a giggle. “Yes, vanished into thin air! Wow!” He slowly walked toward the leaf pile, zig-zagging his way toward it.

The couple could hear slight giggling sounds from the leaf pile. They sounded like they were coming from _inside_ the leaf pile. Ziva's eyes twinkled with a smile in them as she looked toward Tony.

Tony glanced at Ziva, and their eyes met for just a moment, but it was enough for them to 'talk' to each other with their looks. Their eyes said volumes: that they knew the boys were plotting on a little surprise, and so they were able to act mock-surprised as the boys exploded out of the leaf pile, sending leaves flying all over.

“Got you both!” Adam yelled as Adam and Ethan jumped out of the pile toward Tony and Ziva.

Ziva squealed in laughter as she caught some of the leaves and threw them back at the boys. “Oh! You got us alright!”

Tony laughed and grabbed a handful of leaves and shoved them down the back of Adam's shirt. “Got you back!” Tony tripped and fell into the leaf pile, landing with a very soft _poof!_

Ethan threw a bunch of leaves up into the air, making it rain leaves. “Make it rain! Make it rain!” He kept making a rainfall of leaves for a few moments, enveloping all of them in a cloud of leaves.

Adam jumped up laughing, pulling leaves out of the back of his shirt and throwing them in all directions. He took a few quick steps out of the pile and grabbed his phone out of his pocket to snap a couple of quick pictures of them all having fun in the leaves.

Later that afternoon, they headed out to a pizzeria, where they met up with McGee and John. As they waited to be seated, AJ and Becky showed up. “Good time to get out, eh?” Tony turned to McGee, then back to Ziva.

“Yup. Always loved Leo's.” McGee looked around briefly, taking in the scents of the wood-fired pizza that the pizzeria served. “Nobody does wood-fired pizza better than Leo's.”

Just then, the waitress ushered them back to a large round table and seated everyone. As everyone was taking their seats, Tony's eyes scanned around the room, before they settled onto everyone around him. He reached out and held Ziva's hand and looked at her. He sighed and smiled. “Yup, good to have everybody out here, enjoying a good time.”

“Oh yes. Not the same without my Ima, Tali, Ben, and their beautiful babies being here, though.” Ziva sighed and smiled. “I miss them. It feels more complete when they are with us, right?” Ziva looked up at Tony, smiling gently.

“Oh yeah, but the holidays are coming soon enough. They're all coming over, so it'll feel normal again. More complete, I mean.” Tony squeezed her hand gently in a reassuring manner. “Those little squirts sure are growing up, can you believe it?”

Ziva nodded with a smile, thinking about the grand-babies as she looked at their adult children laughing as they was ribbing with each other. She turned to look at Tony. “Look at them. Amazing how well they get along with each other. Like brothers and sisters.” She laughed at some of the antics that was happening in front of them.

Tony chuckled along with Ziva. “Well, you realize all this is the ElfLord's fault.” Tony raised his hands in air, looking at McGee with a mock-serious look, then bursting out in laughter.

Ziva looked at McGee, raising an eyebrow. “That's right, look. You got your son taking over the ElfLord role over there and teaching our kids the ElfLord discipleship.”

“Well, I am not sure if they'll be able to be full-time ElfLords if they had other things to do, like earn money?” McGee muttered with a chuckle, almost to himself.

Something in his voice caused Tony to turn to McGee. “Other things like what?”

Before McGee could reply, AJ spoke up. “Uncle Tim, what if I could be the ElfLord on my day shift, and I look at the stars and do my astrophysics thing at night?” AJ tilted his head and smiled. “You know, you only see the stars at night time?”

Tony chuckled as McGee's face changed. “He got you there, McGeek.”

McGee realized that AJ had just caught him off guard. He hadn't thought about how astronomers and astrophysicists made their living: mostly by working the night shift, observing the skies, studying the workings of outer space. “Hmm, you do have a valid point there. I just didn't think about that. So used to the day life.”

Ziva shook her head, laughing. “Oh you boys wracking each other's minds.” She glanced over at McGee, whose face said it all.

Becky giggled. “They're something, aren't they, Ima?”

Ziva smiled. “The monkey squad is out in full force.”

John got up and imitated a monkey, making hooting sounds, as he walked past them to the salad bar. “Let us monkeys have fun and eat, right?”

Ziva chuckled as she picked up her fork and moved her salad around a bit. “It's all your fault for roping me into this, Tony.” She reached out and stroked his cheek. “But I loved every minute of it.”

Everyone giggled as they looked at Ziva and Tony's sweet ribbing at each other then McGee spoke up, “Just like old times,” McGee pondered with a smile as he looked at the teens having fun with each other.

“Oh yeah, it never gets old right?” Ziva looked sidelong at McGee.

“Nope, never gets old. Loving every minute of it.” McGee nodded with a smile.

Tony turned to McGee. “Oh, hey. Just remembered something. I might need your magic McGeek touch to get my laptop to work again. You busy tomorrow?”

“Again? What are you putting on there now, Tony? More unnecessary stuff?” McGee ribbed Tony. He knew that Tony knew better, but he still liked to tease Tony every so often because he knew technology wasn't necessarily Tony's strong suit.

AJ looked up, hearing Tony ask about some help with the laptop. “Yeah, Uncle Tim, his laptop's acting wonky again. Something to do with the video display flipping itself backward every so often.”

McGee looked at AJ. “What'd you do to try to fix it?”

“I tried everything I could think of short of a sledgehammer adjustment. I think it's the video chip going bad.” AJ sighed and shrugged. “Kind of hard to duplicate the problem at will, it's random.

John nodded. “Video flipping back and forth, gotta be a bad video chip. Of course if you run 'em too hot they do that as well.”

AJ nodded, “Tell me about it” AJ raised his eyebrow, “Like I said, I tried to help Dad with it, but you're much better at this than I am.” AJ shrugged and raised his hands in the air as he looked at McGee.

Ziva chuckled, then spoke up. “Tony, you're talking about the old laptop from work? The one we had to replace after the lab rat spilling her awful concoction on it?”

Tony winced slightly at the memory. “Yeah, that lab squirrel.” He shook his head slightly, then turned to Ziva. “Yeah, I'm using it for now, because I'm trying to get my stuff over to the new laptop, but it's not working right.” He turned to McGee. “I was going to let the kids have it once I got all the data moved over and cleaned off the laptop.”

McGee raised an eyebrow, then nodded. “Sure, I can come over and see what's up with the laptop. Hopefully it's just a video driver problem.” He turned to John. “Got anything planned tomorrow, John?”

John sipped his drink then put it down, looking at his father, “Nope, no plans tomorrow. I do know Becky's got class tomorrow, right?” John turned to Becky as he said the last word.

Becky nodded. “I need to be there early tomorrow morning, I need to drive to Alexandria. Just doing my general ed classes this year, remember?” Becky tilted her head toward John, smiles.

Before John could answer, AJ spoke up. “I got classes all day long, so I'll be stuck in Alexandria until much later.”

Adam looked crestfallen as he heard AJ had said. “But, Anthony! You promised me and Ethan that we'd go riding our bikes together out on the back country road, please?” Adam tilted his head toward AJ, with a slight frown on his face.

Ethan clapped AJ on his shoulder. “Yeah, AJ, you told us earlier before we came here, that you'll hang with us tomorrow. But now you say you're having classes all day long?”

AJ looked at the twins. “Yes, but that was before I realized that I had my schedule mixed up. Thought I was having chem class today, but I checked. It's tomorrow. Still getting used to the new schedule.” He patted Adam on his arm. “I promise you, tomorrow after classes.”

Adam slumped in his chair. “Yeah, right. You've been doing that lately.”

Ethan nodded. “Classes and your girlfriend.”

AJ scoffed. “She's not my _girl_ friend.” He made air-quotes around the word girlfriend. “She's just a friend of mine from the astronomy club.”

“Okay!” Ziva raised her hands in the air, to forestall any further argument from the boys. “You boys, not here.” She sighed and looked intently into their eyes. “Look, I'll tell you the plan for tomorrow, because tomorrow's going to be busy for all of us.”

“Whoa, now.” Tony held up his hands, looking at Ziva, signaling with his eyes that he's got her back. He then looked at AJ. “He's right,” he pointed to Ethan, and then pointing to Ziva, “and she's also right. Look, don't make promises to your brothers and sisters when you don't have a guarantee that you're going to be able to keep it.”

AJ muttered his assent.

Tony glanced at Ziva, then looked back at AJ. “We've got a full plate tomorrow, but you've still got time to spend with Ethan and Adam when you get out from class. You're only half an hour away.” Tony raised an eyebrow at AJ.

“Ethan's got an ear doctor appointment tomorrow morning. We should be back before you know it.” She turned to Adam. “McGee and John will be coming over tomorrow anyway, because Uncle Tim's got to work on your dad's laptop. While John's waiting for Becky, he can hang out with you and go for a bike ride with you. Then when we get back, we'll all ride together. How's that sound?” Ziva smiled at Adam.

Ethan looked at Ziva with a questioning look on his face. “Oh, a doctor's appointment for me? To fix my sound processors?” He sat up further. “That's right, I forgot about that.”

AJ sat up suddenly, an idea in his head. “I'll tell you what. The last class I got is just a flex class, I can skip it tomorrow and come over a little earlier and spend some time with you all.”

Becky looked at her brothers. “You know what, I've got an idea. When I get back, maybe John and I can take you boys on a bike ride wherever you guys want to go.” Becky smiled at them, trying to cheer them up.

John spoke up. “She's right. We could go for a bike ride together, spend some time together, just you and me, until Bec' gets back.” John smiled at Adam. “When Ethan gets back, we can all go out for an ice cream or something, meet up with AJ.”

Adam's face lit up. “Oh, yeah! That sounds like a good idea. We can do that, when you get back, right, Ethan?” Adam held out a fist for a fist-bump from Ethan.

John and AJ held out their fists for a fist-bump from the twins. “Right on, elf-lets.” John chuckled.

Becky laughed and shook her head with a smile on her face. “Boom.” She put her fist-bump into the mix.

Tony and Ziva sighed out a sigh of relief as they looked at each other. They loved it when the problem worked itself out in front of their eyes. Ziva turned to Tony. “I think we did good,” she whispered to Tony.

Tony looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and nodded slightly. “Yeah. Very close, now. Just a dash of seasoning.”

Ziva chuckled. “I think it'll all work out tomorrow in the end.”

Next morning, while Ziva and Tony went about their getting-ready routine, she could hear the boys chatting across the room. She glanced up at them and smiled. She then looked over at Tony. “Love hearing them talk. Just the sound of their voices.” Ziva chuckles as she looked on the boys.

“Yeah. So alike, yet so different.” Tony wrinkled his face in puzzlement. “Almost like there's two worlds apart living together and so in peace.”

Ziva looked into Tony's eyes. “What do you mean?”

Tony sighed. “Well, you've got Adam, who's got perfect hearing.” He held out one hand. “Then you've got Ethan, with no hearing without his sound processors.” He held out another hand, then slowly brought them together. “And yet, they're, like the yin and yang.” He smiled. “I've never really understood what made _that_ tick. But I love seeing it just the same.”

Ziva smiled. “They're twins, you're not supposed to understand how the bond between twins work to begin with. Especially identical twins.”

Tony sat up. “So maybe that twins thing gets in the way of Ethan's audiology appointment.” Tony was referring to how they always had their inside jokes where they would spontaneously laugh at each other.

Ziva nodded, “Oh yes. You know how Adam is when Ethan's trying to focus on his mapping sessions. This time, Ethan wanted to go alone because of his sound processors. Remember, they're not working right.” Ziva blinked at Tony, then let out a short sigh. “I don't like taking him without Adam, but I do understand this time.” She looked out at the boys, then back up at Tony.

Tony nodded. “Hey, it's only a couple of hours or so, right?”

Ziva nodded. “We'll be back before they know it. It shouldn't take too long.” She smiled at Tony reassuringly, then stroked his cheek. They then looked out to the living room.

Adam and Ethan stood facing each other in the living room. “Ethan, I hope it all goes well with mapping appointment. I think it'll go real well and you'll pass with flying colors.” Adam giggled.

“Oh yeah, I hope they can at least fix it. Be nice to get new ones, though. If it can be fixed, hopefully it's something easy to fix.” Ethan nodded as he pondered the possibilities with regard to his sound processors.

Adam nodded gently. “Maybe a software update. Who knows, you might get an upgrade to the new sound processor that they just came out with.” He smiled. “You hear about that one?”

“I did hear about it. Sounds cool that I could connect to whatever sound system with just a glance at whatever device I want, and the sound processor just connects. I might go with a different color this time. Not red.” Ethan perked up with a smile.

Adam nodded with a thumb up in air. “Going for pink this time?”

Ethan erupted into laughter. “No way! You ain't gonna catch me dead with a pink sound processor.” He tweaked his voice to sound more girlish. “Hello, Barbie, do you like my new sound processors? Oh, yes! They're beautiful!” Ethan shook his head and reverted back to his normal voice. “Nope. Not happening.”

“Okay, what color are you gonna see about adding to your collection?” Adam asked, suppressing a chuckle.

Ethan smiled and looked at Adam. “What color should I pick this time?

Adam looked at Ethan and smiled back. “Hopefully you can get neon green similar to my bike.” Adam giggled.

Ethan raised his eyebrow, “Hmm, I don't think I have that color. I'll see what they can do. I am sure Dad and Ima will agree with you. It'll be very noticeable when I ride my bike. It'll stand out just like my bike.”

“I think that color would offset that neon orange and black on your bike just right. You'd be one badass neon Star Trek bike rider with that thing making your head glow like a radioactive dump from miles away.” Adam signed beams of glowing radiation shooting out from both sides of his head. “Aircraft'll have to divert around you just to make sure they don't run into you.” Adam chuckled while patting Ethan on the shoulder.

Ethan burst out into laughter at the image of radiation shooting out from his head. “Yeah, blind people, even, it'd be so bright neon.” He took a pause to catch a breath. Before he could say anything further to Adam, Ziva walked into the room toward them and reached out her arms to Ethan and Adam and encircled them into her hug. Tony stood, watching Ziva, observing how she cherished the twins so. He sighed wistfully, wondering how she had that bond with the twins, whereas he had his own internal little struggles.

Adam looked up at Ziva and smiled. “Ima, it'll be alright. I'll still be here when you all get back.” Adam sensed a slight undercurrent of worry in Ziva's eyes. “I'll hang out with John, like we said.”

Ziva nodded, “I know you'll be alright. We'll make it up later today.” Ziva smiled and stroked Adam's cheek, then kissed him on the top of his head.

Tony walked up to Adam and smiled. “Your Ima's right. We'll be in touch when we're out and about, okay?” He clapped Adam on the shoulder. “I love you my little man, just the same as Ethan.” Tony raised his eyebrow, smiling at Adam, giving him a great hug.

Ethan turned his head and looked out the window, for something had caught his eye. He suddenly ran to the window. “Looks like Uncle Tim's here!”

Adam turned to look out the window. “Oh, and look, John just got here, too.” He pointed out the window at John's car pulling up beside McGee's.

They all went out of the entryway to meet up with McGee and John. As they stepped out of the doorway, John and McGee both got out of their cars with smiles on their faces. “Good morning to you all!” McGee called out.

A chorus of “Good morning!” reached his and John's ears. “Ready for the day? John asked.

Ethan piped up. “Yup! On my way to the audiologist now!” He ran past John, giving him a high-five on the way to the family SUV.

“Rock on!” John said to him, holding out the rock-on sign.

As Ethan clambered into the rear seat of the SUV, Adam ran up to the SUV, meeting it as the door closed. Using sign language, Adam said, “Neon green, right?”

Tony and Ziva could see into the SUV as they walked toward it; Ethan was signing something to Adam that they couldn't quite catch due to the angle of view.

“Hope you can get his laptop back up and running so he can continue transferring all his stuff over to the new one.” Ziva smiled at McGee. “It's been long enough that he put it off now.”

McGee chuckled. “Not enough time in the day, right? Or little elflets taking the laptop from time to time?”

McGee shifted his stance slightly and tilted his head. “So, when exactly did the problem start with the laptop?”

“Huh?” Tony turned his head toward McGee. “Oh, like three-four days ago, I think? Adam came to me saying he was getting a little frustrated with that thing, because it was spitting out some weird error message every time he was trying to do something with it. Photo editing, I guess, trying to help Ethan with a project he had.”

McGee raised an eyebrow. “Hm. Okay, I'll see what's what with the laptop. I might want to use your new one to help transfer all the data over just in case.”

“Would you? Oh, that'd be great.” Tony sighed. “You'd probably get it done much faster than I could.”

Ziva looked over at the SUV, where Adam and Ethan were still talking. All of a sudden, she had a slight sense of unease, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She sighed internally and shook her head imperceptibly. “Tony, ready to go?” She turned to Tony.

“Oh, yeah. Better hit the road. If that laptop gives you a hard time, you're welcome to take the hard drive out, copy whatever you can over, and then introduce it to the sledgehammer in the garage.” Tony chuckled and walked off to the SUV and got in, and Ziva followed behind.

McGee laughed. “I'll keep that in mind.”

“Hope you have better luck than Tony.” Ziva called out just before she got into the car.

McGee waved back at them and smiled. “I'll try my best.”

Ziva heard a tapping on the window behind her. She turned around and caught in her peripheral vision Adam signing the ILY sign to Ethan and Ethan returning it to him. “Ready, Ethan?”

“Yup!” Ethan said from the back seat.

Ziva turned back and stopped at the passenger window to look at Adam. She smiled and signed ILY to Adam. “We'll be back soon,” she said through the rolled-down window.

“I love you. I'll be fine with John. We'll be careful on the bikes,” he said, signing the word “bikes”. He smiled at Ziva, then reached through the window to hug her goodbye.

Ziva replied, “See you soon.”

Tony called out. “Hey, little man! Ride safe, you hear? We'll go out afterwards, have a good time, all of us.” He waved goodbye, then put the SUV in gear and started backing out. Little did they know what would happen later that day.

McGee smiled and went back into the DiNozzo residence, followed by John and Adam. He paused in the living room and looked around. “Alright, where's the laptop?”

Adam walked past McGee and pointed toward the kitchen table. “It's over here, all ready for you. Let's go in the garage and get the bikes out, John.” He waved John along to follow him.

“Ah, there it is. Hey, Adam?” McGee called out.

Adam's head poked back through the garage entryway. “Yeah?”

McGee looked up from opening up the laptop. “Where's the new one, just in case?”

“Oh, yeah.” Adam walked back to the office and returned with the new laptop as McGee settled in to work on the old laptop, making sure it was hooked up to wall power.

“Thanks, Adam.” McGee smiled.

Adam smiled and nodded. “Not a problem.” He led John back out to the garage.

“Okay, let's see where they are.” John flipped on the garage light, and spotted the bikes leaning against the far side of the garage. “Ah, there they are.”

Adam stopped midway. “Oh, that's right, I forgot.” He turned to get Tony's toolbox and set it in the middle of the garage floor. “I gotta fix the bike. Flat tire, broken chain.”

John chuckled. “Oh, yeah, you've been putting it off for a while?”

Adam laughed. “Yeah, pro tip: don't try taking flying lessons off the hill like I did. Faceplant territory right there.”

“Yeah, no!” John laughed. “Sure gave your parents a scare that day when you went headlong over those handlebars.”

Adam got his bike off the wall, brought it over, and turned it upside down and took the wheels off. “Yeah, and it wasn't even my fault. If it wasn't for that dog -”

“Right. I hate strays getting loose.” John shook his head. “Always getting into people's way. I just wish people'd keep their pets under control, y'know, keep 'em from getting loose all the time.” He sighed and opened the toolbox.

“Now I gotta replace the chain. See – it's all bent out of line.” Adam pointed out the kink in the chain. He got the chain-breaker out of the toolbox and started driving a pin out of the chain with the tool to break the chain link.

“Got a new chain?” John looked up at the bench.

Adam looked up. “Yeah, it's up on the bench. Left side, near the organizer bins.” He pointed toward the hardware organizer bins.

“Oh – I see it.” John walked over to get it.

Meanwhile, Tony, Ziva and Ethan had arrived at the audiologist's office. After they had checked in at the waiting room, Ethan took a seat in the waiting room and took out his phone and started doing something on his phone. As Tony and Ziva sat down across from him, Tony looked at Ziva. “Ziva, you doing alright?” Tony whispered to Ziva as he leaned closer to Ziva's ear.

Ziva looked up at Tony. “Not sure. Just a sense.” She sighed and slumped in her chair slightly. “Couldn't sleep well last night for some reason. Something's off and I don't know what it is,” she whispered quietly.

Tony inhaled then, slowly exhaled while he nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that you were flopping around like a fish out of water all night. Are you sure you're okay?” Tony shifted himself slightly toward Ziva. “Did the cuddling help?”

Ziva nodded, “Some. The cuddling always helps in some way or another.” She smiled for a moment. “But it's not that.” She looked at Tony. Her eyes said it all to Tony: that she was worried that something might happen to her family. She sighed, dropping her gaze after a moment and leaning her head on Tony's shoulder.

Tony sighed and mulled over what she just said for a moment, then put his arm around Ziva and held her. “Whatever it is, I'm sure it's no big deal.” He shrugged. “I'm sure everything will turn out just fine with this appointment.”

But Ziva wasn't thinking about the appointment. Her senses told her otherwise, but she put her thoughts aside for now. “You're right. I think it'll be fine.” She smiled at Tony.

Ethan noticed his parents leaning on each other. “Dad, Ima, you all good?” He smiled slightly, looking at the two.

Ziva sat up straight, looking at Ethan. “Yeah. Just a little tired, but no big deal. Maybe a lunch after this will wake me up, sounds good?” Ziva smiled at Ethan.

Ethan nodded with a smile. “Yeah sounds good.” He returned to his phone.

Tony looked at Ethan, then slowly looked back at Ziva. He didn't speak, but his eyes said, “Kids do sense feelings, you know.”

Ziva's formed a small, wry grin as she nodded. Her eyes conveyed that she knew. She swallowed the lump in her throat that had suddenly formed. An undercurrent of anxiety crept up under the surface, and she pursed her lips and exhaled slowly.

Tony rubbed Ziva's back. “Hey. It'll be alright.” He whispered into her ear.

“DiNozzo?” Three heads popped up toward the door that led toward the examination rooms, where a nurse stood.

“Yeah, that's us.” Tony said as he, Ziva, and Ethan stood up and walked toward the nurse.

Back at the Rose Hill house, McGee had just finished working on the laptop when John and Adam walked back into the house from the garage. McGee looked up at them. “Well. That went better than expected, even though the video adapter on the old laptop went kaput.”

John stopped and looked at the two laptops. “Yeah? Old laptop give up the ghost?”

“Yup.” McGee raised an eyebrow. “Still, I got all the pictures, work files, banking info, all that important stuff transferred over to the new laptop.” He smiled. “I was working on the setup and configuration files when the hard drive went -” McGee made a grinding sound and his hand mimicked gears grinding themselves to destruction.

Adam let out a short chuckle. “Like the click of death?”

John smiled, but shook his head. “Slightly different, but worse. Basically, these older hard drives, when they die, you can't get anything off them again – ever.”

McGee looked at John and laughed. “Man, this laptop. Surprised it's lasted this long, to be honest.” He sighed. “This wasn't even the original laptop that we got Tony.”

“Oh?” John looked at McGee, suddenly interested. “How come?”

Adam ran his hand across the now-dead laptop. “What's the story behind that?”

McGee took a deep breath. “Well, it was your dad's work laptop, and one day there was a liquid mishap, not of his own fault. So, we had to get a new laptop and move the hard drive from that laptop to the new one. That one.” He chuckled. “He didn't know we had replaced it, until much later.”

John and Adam laughed. “Ohh, so you snuck him a new laptop because you spilled something on it?” John raised an eyebrow.

“No, it was a coworker. That over-excited lab rat, er, I mean lab squirrel.” McGee smiled. “She just had to wear those tall boots and come running in with that Caf-POW drink and trip all over herself and get it all over the laptop.”

“Ahah, how'd he find out?” Adam chortled.

“Well, he sat down the next day and started typing and immediately noticed the difference in the key response.” McGee's face was blank for a moment, then he paused in putting his tools away and leaned over a bit. “I swear, his fingers don't miss much on keyboards.” He stage-whispered.

“That's funny. He could actually feel the difference?” John chuckled.

McGee smiled at John. “Swear to God. We did a blind test later on. He could tell the difference between an older model keyboard and a Chinese near-exact copy. I'm impressed.”

Adam smiled. “So what did he say?”

McGee smiled. “First few letters he typed, then he said, ' _Wow, the key weighting feels.... different._ ' Then he looked up at me and asked me what did I do to his laptop. I just pointed to your Ima, and she pointed to me.”

The boys laughed. John said, “Did he find out eventually?”

“No, yeah, we told him then. He wasn't too appreciative of that lab squirrel, but was happy that he got a better than new laptop out of the whole deal. Took a little extra work to make it ' _better than new_ ', especially considering that I had to swap hard drives.”

“That makes sense that you and Ima got him a new laptop then,” Adam looked up to John. “We ready to go out for a ride out on the back country road while we wait for everyone to come home?”

McGee looked up at Adam and John as he snapped his computer toolkit shut. “Yup. Since I'm done here, I'm gonna head home. I'll take the dead laptop for disposal on the way home. It shouldn't be long before Becky gets back, I think.” McGee smiled. “Just be careful around the forested area. There's been some idiotic drivers over there recently.” McGee stood up and smiled. “You both have fun, alright? Keep in touch.”

John nodded as they walked out to McGee's car. “I'll be careful out there. I'll keep an eye on Adam as well.”

McGee nodded as he got into his car. “See you in a while.” He smiled as he put his car into gear and backed out of the driveway.

John and Adam smiled at the retreating car, then went back to the garage. “Okay, let's see if the tires held any air.” Adam felt his tires. Still rock solid. “Good, my patch job held. How's your tires?” He looked up at John.

“Front's flat.” He got the pump and put air into the tire, then waited for a few moments. There was a quiet hissing sound, and he looked for the sound, stopping at the valve stem. “Oh, that thing.” He tightened the valve stem, and it stopped leaking. “Now we're good.”

Just then, they heard the sound of ringing, and John suddenly looked down at his pocket and pulled his cellphone out and answered it. “Hello?” After a moment, his face brightened. “Oh, hi, Bec'! Yes, we're about to go for a bike ride.” He listened for a few moments, then said, “Yup, see you then.” He smiled as he hung up the phone.

“Becky?” Adam asked.

“Yup. We got about, oh, half an hour to 45 minutes until she gets home.” John smiled and got on his bike.

Before Adam could get on his bike, his phone dinged. “Oh!” Adam pulled his phone out and looked at the display. It was Ethan Face-Timing Adam. “It's Ethan calling.” Adam's face brightened into a smile.

“Go ahead, answer it.” John encouraged him, smiling. “See what he's got to say.”

Adam answered the phone. Ethan's face popped up on the screen. He was smiling. “Adam, we just got done with the appointment. Hearing test passed with flying colors!”

“Alright, rock on! Did they fix the sound processor?” Adam asked, smiling.

Ethan shook his head with a bummed look. “Nope. Wasn't fixable.” His face suddenly brightened. “But! Guess what. Look at this!” He turned his head, to reveal a bright neon green sound processor and headpiece.

“Oh, you got the new one! And in neon green, too!” Adam said excitedly.

“Yup! Now I can rock on!” Ethan smiled and held out the rock-on sign on screen.

John and Adam laughed on-screen, and their voices could be heard. “Alright, Ethan, we're getting ready to head out for a bike ride. Catch you later.” Adam waved. “You on your way home now?”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah I think we are coming home,” Ethan said as he looked up toward Tony and Ziva. “Right?”

Ziva turned around and spoke up. “Yeah, we're on our way home. See you when we get home.” She smiled.

“Right, bye.” Adam's face dissolved from Ethan's display as he hung up.

Ethan smiled as he put his phone away. “See you later, brother,” he muttered to himself as he looked at Tony and Ziva. He then sat back in his seat and watched out the window and drifted off to sleep.

Adam smiled and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Now I'm ready.” He walked the bike out of the garage, and as John followed behind with his bike, he hit the door-close button to let the garage door close.

“Let's go.” John got on his bike with a smile on his face and then pushed off.

A few moments later, as they were riding down a deserted country road, they stopped for a moment to take in the sounds, enjoying the cool day. They could see cars and trucks rumbling by on the distant highway, hear the occasional tractor or ATV closer by. “Nice day to be out, right?” John called back to Adam, who just pulled up.

“Yeah, it's just right out. Not too hot, not too cold.” A small cloud of moisture formed in Adam's breath; it was in the mid-50s in the sun, mid-40s in the shade.

John nodded. “Perfect day to get our blood pumping.” He set off on his bike.

Adam pushed off on his bike, keeping close pace with John. “Yup!”

A moment later, the sound of loud music reached their ears, slowly increasing in volume. They both took a quick glance backward, to see a dirty yellow car catching up to them, weaving slightly.

“Adam, stay close!” John looked back front, to make sure he didn't go off the road, then glanced back again. He breathed a sigh of relief as Adam moved closer to the shoulder and the car moved to the other side farther away from them.

Adam let out a short sharp breath as he felt the wind from the car as it sped past them. “Hey, slow down, you crazy driver!” He yelled at the car, cursing in Hebrew.

John raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “I don't know what he was on, but he's dangerous.” He looked back at Adam, who had just caught up with him. “What did you say to him back there?”

Adam laughed. “Oh, some ancient Hebrew curses, nothing serious.”

John laughed. They continued on riding.

A few minutes later, they reached a street that led to a T-intersection. They stopped for a moment, to admire the wide open view of fields and few trees. “Well, I think we need to start heading back home, right?” John looked at Adam.

Adam looked in the general direction of their house. “Yeah, it's about that time we need to be heading back.” He pushed off on his bike and started riding down toward the T-intersection.

John took off after Adam, catching up to him, and riding double file. “I think we got enough time to get there before everybody else.” He dropped back to ride single-file behind Adam.

Adam looked briefly at John and flashed a smile. “Yeah, and then we can talk with Ethan about his new sound processors and all that.” He looked back to the road ahead.

Moments later, the same loud music drifted to their ears, and they rolled their eyes.

“Not again,” John muttered to himself. He looked back. The car was driving in fits and starts and weaving erratically. He quickly looked ahead to Adam. “Adam, go! He's drunk!” He put all his effort into making his bike go faster.

Adam quickly glanced backwards. “Oh, shit!” He pedaled harder, looking forward again.

But it was too late. The dirty yellow car's engine clattered as it brushed John, knocking him to the ground, opening up a gash on his forehead. “Adaaaaam!” He screamed as the car struck him and sent him flying through the air. Stars filled John's head as he heard the rending sound of metal on metal as the car ran over Adam's bike.

Adam's body fell onto the ground next to the road with a sickening thud.

“Nooo!” John tried to get up, but fell down, dizzy from the impact. He crawled to Adam and held him in his arms.

As Tony was driving the SUV, he was mulling over today's appointment at the audiologist, thinking of how excited Ethan was with his new sound processors, and all the new features that would help enhance his hearing and connectivity, he glanced over at Ziva. She looked deep in thought, slight anxiety lines criss-crossing her forehead. He glanced over again. “You okay, babe?”

Ziva shook her head. “I'm sure it's nothing.” She glanced in the mirror looking behind her. She noticed something in Ethan's face, but before she could say something, Ethan jerked slightly. She gasped and turned around quickly to look at Ethan. His face looked very still, unmoving. “Tony! Pull over!” She sat back and looked at him.

Tony abruptly pulled the car over to the shoulder and stood on the brake, slowing the SUV down reasonably quickly, causing Ethan to jerk awake. “You alright back there, bud?” He spun in his seat, looking at Ethan.

Ethan looked disoriented. “Yeah, what happened?”

Ziva looked back toward Ethan. “You gave us a scare there. Are you alright?”

Ethan shook his head and grew real still. His face showed signs of being sick. Ziva opened the door. “Let me sit in back with him!”

“Yup.” Tony nodded.

“Do you need Dad to be with you?”

Ethan nodded gently. “Maybe,” he whispered, rubbing his stomach.

Tony got out of his seat and walked back to the rear door and opened it to see Ethan. Just as he opened the door, Ethan turned around to Tony. “Daddy, I think I am going to -” He couldn't finish the sentence before throwing up all over Tony.

Ziva gasped. “Oh, no!” She steadied Ethan as he threw up.

Tony stood there, speechless for a moment, looking down at the stain down the front of his shirt and pants. He then looked back up at Ethan. “You feel better now?”

Slight beads of sweat formed on Ethan's forehead. “I think I'm fine now.” He sat back, breathing raspily.

Ziva shushed Ethan, comforting him. “It'll be alright.” She wiped away the sweat.

Tony sighed, then walked toward the rear of the SUV and opened it and got out a spare shirt he had in the back. He walked around to the passenger side and stripped his stained shirt off, and used it to wipe the vomit off his pants before stuffing it into a plastic bag. He then put the spare shirt on, not realizing that it was inside-out. He then walked around back, tossing the tied-up bag into the back and closing it. He sighed as he reached the rear door. He looked inside. “Hey, little man.” He reached out and patted Ethan gently. “Rest on your Ima's lap. We're heading home now.”

Ziva smiled strainedly. “I think that's a good idea, Tony.”

Tony nodded as he put the SUV in gear, and pulled out into the flow of traffic, merging at the right time. “Yup. Let's hope that it was all from the excitement from getting the new sound processor.” He smiled into the rear-view mirror at Ziva.

Ziva frowned. She looked down at Ethan, who looked like he was okay again, but sleeping. Suddenly, Ethan's arms jerked and started convulsing. She screamed. “Tony! He's seizing!”

Tony quickly looked back at Ziva and Ethan, then back up front. “Hold on, I'm taking him in to the hospital. It's not that far!” He hit the hazard lights, and stomped on the throttle, weaving his way through traffic, pointing the SUV toward the hospital.

“Careful!” Ziva called out; Tony almost slammed into a patrol car that was merging into traffic.

The sound of sirens sounded behind them and lights flashed in his rear-view mirror. “Shit, the cops!” He rolled down the window and slowed down beside the cop, who was speeding up beside him.

“Pull over!” The officer screamed out his window.

“My son's seizing! I need the hospital now!” Tony screamed back before looking ahead of him.

“Tony!” Ethan had gone limp in Ziva's arm; he was now breathing normally again. Pools of sweat lined his collar and stained his underarms. “He's stopped seizing, but is still breathing.” Ziva glanced at the time on the radio. It had been five minutes or so since he had seized. 1:27. She noted the time that Ethan had stopped seizing.

The cop nodded. “I'll give you an escort!” He sped up ahead of him and kept his lights and sirens blaring as he cleared a path toward the hospital.

“Right!” He fell in behind the cop and raced toward the hospital.

Moments after they arrived at emergency department, a few nurses ran out to meet the SUV and opened the door and scooped Ethan up, put him on the stretcher, and rushed him into the ER. Ziva got out and ran after him while Tony drove off to park the SUV.

“How's he doing now?” The attending nurse asked as he pushed Ethan down the hallway and into the closest emergency bay.

“He got sick, we pulled over, he threw up, then started seizing.” Ziva took a breath. “Lasted five minutes, stopped at 1:27.” She looked down at Ethan, surrounded by nurses doing a rapid head-to-toe exam.

The nurse looked up. “Any history?”

“No – yes, I mean, not since he was two.” Ziva sighed. “Meningitis-related.”

“Okay, that would explain the implants.” The nurse nodded. “Went deaf from it?”

Ziva nodded. “Yes, he hasn't had a seizure since, until now. I just assumed that it was due to the fever.”

The nurse nodded. “You're right, it does happen. What brought this on, do you know?”

Just then, Tony walked into the room. “Oh, good, here you are.”

Ziva glanced at Tony, then back at the nurse. “No, actually, he was just a happy boy, excited about his new sound processors that he got.” She looked back at Tony. “Did you notice anything unusual about him?”

Tony shrugged his shoulder. “Nope. This was totally out of the blue.”

“Hm. Well, we might want to keep him overnight, just to be sure.” The nurse closed the chart. “Why don't you step out into the waiting room for a few minutes, and I'll have the doctor come and find you. Shouldn't be too long.”

“Alright, sounds good. What kind of tests would be run on him?” Tony looked around the room.

The nurse looked at him. “The doctor will come in and look at him, determine what tests need to be run on him.”

Just then, Tony's phone rang. He looked down at his pocket.

“Go, Tony. I'll stay with him. Answer it.” Ziva waved Tony out of the room.

Tony chuckled and stepped out of the room and walked toward the waiting room as he pulled his phone out and answered it. “Hello?”

“About time you answered! I've been trying to get ahold of you.” McGee's voice filtered through the speaker. His voice was tinged with urgency.

“Why, what's going on?” Tony stopped mid-stride in the waiting room. “Is everything alright?”

“No, I'm just now entering the emergency room,” McGee said. “Where are you?”

“Standing in the middle of the waiting room... watching you enter.” His eyes saw McGee entering the waiting room, and his hand dropped to the side, letting the phone clatter to the ground.

McGee took a couple steps and looked up and stopped dead in his tracks as soon as his eyes caught sight of Tony. He lowered his phone hand. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you. Had to bring Ethan in, he got real sick.” Tony bent over to pick up his phone, then walked over to McGee. “Just got a call and was told to come here by some nurse, that there's been some sort of accident.”

“No! Are they okay?” Tony gasped.

McGee walked over to the intake nurse. “That's what I'm about to find out.” He turned to the intake nurse. “Timothy McGee here, I was told to come here?”

“One moment.” The intake nurse typed in a couple of things onto her terminal. After a moment, the terminal beeped in affirmation. “Yes, is your son John McGee?”

“Yes, that's him, why, is he okay?” McGee asked.

The intake nurse stood up. “Let me take you back to see him.” She guided McGee through the doorways.

“Hey, where's Adam?” Tony called out after McGee.

McGee stopped in the middle of the double doorways with a pale look on his face. “He was with John... oh, shit.” He ran into the emergency department.

Tony ran back into the emergency department where Ethan lay, now with an IV running into one of his hands. He stopped at the foot of the bed, his face ashen.

Ziva looked up and gasped when she saw Tony's face. “What is it?”

Tony gulped, looking at Ethan. He looked back at Ziva. “There's been an accident, McGee's here. I think they brought John in just now.”

Ziva gasped, her anxiety shrilling in her ears, and she mustered all her mental strength into trying to relax, using her breathing exercises, but failing somewhat. A tear leaked out of her eye. Tony rushed over to hold her in an effort to calm her. “Adam?” Ziva's eyes flashed with an undercurrent of emotion. They telegraphed her desire to know more. “Find out, will you?”

Tony nodded. “I'll go see where McGee is.” He stepped out of the room and looked for McGee, finding him just a couple bays away.

McGee quickly stood up at the sight of Tony. “They took him in for a scan, he just came back. Now, I'm just waiting to hear the results.” McGee's phone dinged. Irritatedly, he pulled his phone out, jabbed at the screen, then shoved it back into his pocket.

Tony looked at McGee's phone. “Problem?”

McGee sighed. “Yeah, a Delilah problem. She won't shut up.” He glanced over at John. “Thank goodness he's sleeping now. They gave him something to knock him out, he was in real bad pain with that gash on his head.”

Tony grabbed McGee by the shoulders. “Did they say anything about Adam?”

McGee stopped himself, looking slightly dazed. “No, they didn't. I asked, they wouldn't say anything either way.”

“Well, damn.” Tony sighed. “Let's you and me go and find out.” He grabbed McGee by the arm and pulled him out of the room, but they didn't get very far.

“You Tony DiNozzo?” A doctor stopped them and pointed to Tony.

Tony stopped short. “Uhh, yeah, that's me.”

The doctor nodded once. His voice rasped across the hallway to Tony. “I need to talk with you.”

Tony gulped visibly. McGee stood by Tony. “I'm a friend of the family.”

“Okay, follow me.” The doctor waved them along, and he led them a short distance down the hall past the emergency department. Tony's eyes clicked upward at the directional signs where the doctor was taking them. He gulped as he saw the word MORGUE on the sign. “Oh, no,” he muttered to himself.

“Hey, I got you.” McGee muttered back at Tony.

Just before they entered, the doctor stopped them. “Now, I warn you, this may not be easy to see. But, we need you to identify the body, Mr. DiNozzo. To confirm who it is.”

“Right, let's get it over with.” Tony's whisper sounded raspy through the quiet air. He stepped into the room and pulled back the sheet -

“Adam! Noo-o-o-o-!” Tony wailed as tears gushed forth.

McGee ran into the room and held Tony tightly. “Hey, buddy, I got ya. I got ya.” He held on as Tony sank to his knees, his legs giving out.

McGee put the sheet back over Adam's body, and pulled Tony up to a standing position and walked him out of the room and held him outside the door and let him sob on his shoulder. He felt Tony's wracking shoulders as he held him. “Hey, it's okay, I got ya.” Tears flowed from McGee's eyes as well.

“My Adam's gone!” Tony blubbered. “How'm I going to tell Ziva?” He drew in a great shuddering breath.

“We'll do it together,” McGee said, patting Tony on the back as he hugged Tony for support.

Tony nodded and wiped his tears away. He made hand motions in the air, unable to speak for a few seconds. He gave up, the effort too great.

McGee nodded and guided Tony toward the emergency department. After a few long minutes of slow walking while Tony was sobbing uncontrollably, they finally made it into the emergency department.

Ziva's ears picked up the sound of crying, and she looked up toward the door. Her face scrunched up slightly in puzzlement, so she got up. She looked down briefly at Ethan, who was resting peacefully. Satisfied that he was going to be okay where he was, she stepped out of the room and turned toward the sound of crying. She saw Tony and McGee slowly walking toward her, tears streaming down their faces.

“What happened?” She sprinted the short distance toward them, reaching them at the nurses' station.

Tony blubbered for a few moments. “H-h-h-he's gone...”

Ziva skidded to a stop, her head shaking. Her voice came out as a moan. “No... no, not Adam!” She collapsed to the floor, wailing in Hebrew.

Tony sank to the floor crying. “Adam's gone...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi readers, This will be picked up on the following chapter 10 part 2, coming up soon. Thank you for your Tweets, Messages and Kudos.


	10. The Hole in My Heart

Chapter 10 Part 2

After they had left the nurse's station, Ziva and Tony slowly walked, dazed and stunned by the recent development, down the hall passing a small chapel; McGee walked alongside them. They stopped in their tracks, then looked into the chapel, which for the moment was empty. As they turned and entered the room, a rabbi appeared and wordlessly motioned them to a pew so they could mourn in private, then retreated to the altar.

As Tony sat in the pew, McGee nodded at them and whispered, “I'll see if I can get a hold of AJ and Becky.”

“Oh, please, do.” Ziva looked up at McGee, and a tear started following the same path that previous tears had followed from her eyes.

McGee smiled and whispered, “I'll be back in a bit.” He stood up and quietly left the chapel.

As Ziva started to sob again, Tony put his arm around Ziva, gently pulling her toward him and holding her tightly, and tilted his head on her head and shoulder. “I've got you, sweetcheeks,” he whispered her, comforting her. As he held her, he rubbed her back and fought back his own tears, his throat tightening.

After a short while, he heard soft footsteps behind him. “Dad? Ima?” The soft dulcet tones reached their ears, and Tony looked up to see Becky and AJ standing beside them. “Uncle Tim told us to meet you here,” Becky whispered.

Tony lifted his head higher and gulped audibly; his throat was dry, raw. He nodded and patted the seat next to him. “Please, sit.”

“I'll sit next to him, you sit next to Ima.” AJ's voice was barely above a whisper as he stepped around to sit next to Tony. Becky nodded and wordlessly sat next to Ziva and held her in a hug.

“Th-thanks for-” Ziva hiccuped slightly; she had been crying nonstop. “For coming.” She patted Becky's lap.

“Dad, what is it?” AJ looked around at Tony, concern on his face. “It's not Ethan, is it?”

All Tony could do was shake his head, which he did very slowly, tears sprinkling down onto his lap as he shook his head.

“Oh!” A fresh bout of sobbing ensued from Ziva. She held her hands in front of her eyes and covered them, resting her elbows on the pew in front of her, and started praying in Hebrew.

Tony leaned forward with his head in one hand and the other hand rubbing Ziva's back. He too was sobbing.

AJ and Becky looked at each other, puzzled. AJ leaned forward and looked at Tony. “Dad, what is it?”

“Adam's -” He choked back tears. He abruptly got up, trying to fight back his tears but failing.

Ziva looked up. “Where are you going?” She reached out and grasped his hand.

Tony sighed and took in a deep, ragged breath. “How do I say this?” he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening slightly on Ziva's hand. Her touch was reassuring, calming to him, and his breathing slowed slightly.

Ziva gently pulled Tony back into his seat. She looked at the two teenagers, then gulped hard. “There was a bicycle accident. Adam's gone.”

AJ and Becky gasped, and tears started streaming down their cheeks as they hugged their parents. “Nooo-o-o-o-o,” Becky moaned.

Ziva took Becky into her arms and held her tightly as tears flowed.

“I was talking to him this morning,” AJ numbly said. “He's gone? As in, not here anymore?”

“No.” Tony managed to say, the single word coming out almost as if he choked on the word.

Ziva got up, pulling Becky up with her, and slowly walked toward the altar and the candles. After a beat, Tony got up and shuffled over to the altar to stand next to Ziva. AJ held Tony and steadied him as they walked toward the altar. Ziva started praying in quiet Hebrew, her voice unsteady and shaking from her grief. Tony held Ziva and AJ, as Becky held Ziva and Tony, as Ziva lit the candles in prayer.

After having said the prayers for the family and the loss they had suffered, Ziva slowly walked back to the pew and sat down, and Becky and AJ sat on either side of her. Tony knelt next to the pew and faced Ziva. “I'll be right back. Someone needs to call Tali. You'll be alright?” Tony looked intently into Ziva's eyes.

“Dad, do you need me go with you?” AJ started to get up.

Tony held up a hand. “Anthony, I'll be alright. I need you to stay here with your Ima and your sister for a bit. I will be right back.” Tony reached over to pat AJ on his shoulder, before turning to walk away.

Ziva turned around toward Tony, “Tony...”

Tony turned around back to Ziva, “At lo levad. I'll check on -” The words stuck in his throat. He swallowed hard. “I'll be right back. If I'm not, then chances are I'll be in Ethan's room.” Tony took another deep breath, then turned around and walked out the room.

“Alright.” Ziva nodded and watched as he left. When Ziva saw Tony's figure disappear from the doorway, she looked back down at Becky and AJ, then held both close to her, singing quietly in Hebrew as she closed her eyes in meditation as Becky and AJ were sobbing gently, their heads resting on Ziva's shoulders.

Tony walked back to the nurses' station and paused, taking a deep breath. He tried to compose himself the best he could, then looked into Ethan's semi-dark room. Taking another deep breath, he slowly walked into Ethan's room, stopping at the corner of the bathroom and peeking around. He looked at Ethan's – Adam's? - peaceful face, sleeping. He blinked his eyes and looked again. No matter how hard he tried, he kept seeing Adam instead of Ethan.

“F-f-f-f...” He quickly stepped out of the room. He smacked himself in the back of his head hard, several times, as tears flowed afresh. “I can't,” he muttered to himself as he paced the hallway floor.

“Man up.” He mentally felt a head-slap. He gasped and looked up, and saw nobody.

“Gibbs?” Tony whispered, blinking his eyes. He rubbed the back of his head involuntarily.

“Go back in there. Tell him.” Gibbs' voice resounded loudly in his head.

Tony gulped and nodded slightly. “Yes, boss,” he whispered as he walked back into the room. He stood at the foot of the bed and watched as Ethan peacefully slept. He slowly walked up the side of the bed closer to Ethan. “Oh, my son,” Tony whispered to Ethan.

Just then, Ethan took in a deep breath, and stirred in the bed. He opened his eyes and looked at Tony. “It's okay, Dad. I know.” He then curled up and went back to sleep.

Tony's blood ran cold, and he was shaken to his core. He gasped and blinked his eyes. “Ethan?” He gently put his hand on Ethan's shoulder, then on the top of his head. As he did so, a flash went through his mind, a sudden image of a car coming up rapidly to meet a bicycle rider -

“Oof!” Tony turned and ran out of the room and stopped a short distance away. He collapsed to the floor, shaking. Suddenly, seemingly from out of nowhere, he felt McGee's hands on his back and shoulder.

“Hey, bud. I got ya.” McGee's voice reached Tony's ears.

“Ethan -” Tony gasped and looked up sharply at McGee. His mind had tripped over itself a long time ago and was still trying to process what had just happened to him. He gulped. “How did he know?” Tony muttered.

McGee looked puzzled at Tony. “I don't follow?”

“H-he knows,” Tony stuttered. He shakily got up, and McGee steadied him. “How he knows... beyond me.”

McGee's eyebrow raised. “Ethan knows Adam's gone?”

“I didn't tell him, he showed me.” Tony automatically said, as he turned to walk back toward Ethan's room.

“Oh.” McGee's arms fell to his sides as he watched Tony walk into the room. He walked to the doorway and looked in.

Tony took a deep breath, then he went toward the bed, looking at Ethan, and noticed a tear falling from the side of Ethan's eye. “McGeek, look!” Tony looked toward the doorway and whispered, pointing to the tear.

McGee quietly stepped into the room and looked where Tony was pointing. He raised an eyebrow and his mouth opened in a small “o”. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. “Wow, he sure does.” He slowly stepped back to the doorway.

Tony reached out and gently rubbed Ethan's head. “I'm here, Ethan.” Tony bent over to kiss on top of Ethan's forehead, then pulled the blanket a little further up onto him to make sure he was warm. Ethan sighed, turned over, and settled down into a quiet deep sleep, as if he was comforted by the touch of his dad. Tony then walked over to the chair and sat down heavily on the chair, then he dug out his phone and held it to his chest for a moment, looking at Ethan, deep in thought. After a moment, he looked at the phone display as he brought up the contacts list. He heard one of the machines beep and he looked up at Ethan, making sure he was there. He sighed with a relief, then hit the speed dial for Tali.

Back at the Olive Grove home, Tali had just finished nursing her 6-month-old Sarah and was placing her in her crib when she heard a phone ringing off in the distance. _Ben'll get it,_ she thought to herself, as she walked toward the kitchen.

“Hello Pops,” Ben grabbed Tali's phone off the kitchen table and answered it. He listened as he fed Brett a spoonful of his cereal. He looked up as Tali walked into the kitchen and nodded. “Oh yeah, Tali just walked in the kitchen. Hang on.” Ben held the phone away from his ear, and then held it out to Tali. “Tali, it's your Dad. He says it's important.”

Puzzled, Tali looked up at the clock. “But it's 6:05am, why would he be calling us this early?”

Ben raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “No idea. I've got the kids. Here.” He shook the phone in the air once, offering it to Tali.

Tali took the phone from Ben. “I'll be back.” She turned and walked toward the living room and looked out the big picture window out to the olive grove. She lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello Daddy, it's me. It's 6 in the morning here. Is everything alright?” Tali bit her lips as she looked out of the window, looking over at Rivka's house, noticing that a light was on in her house.

“Hi my darling.” Tony's voice cracked as he spoked. “I wish I was calling under better circumstances.” Tony gasped, coughed lightly as he cleared his throat. “Are you sitting down?”

Tali slowly sat down on the couch, hearing the crack and emotion in his voice. “Yeah, I'm sitting down, why?” Her anxiety started to creep up inside her, and she bit her lip as she waited to hear her dad speak.

“Tali, I'm so sorry to tell you this.” Tony gulped back tears. “It's Adam... He had a bike accident, and... your brother died...” Tony dissolved into tears as he dropped his phone.

“No-o-o-o-o-o-o!” Tali dropped the phone and screamed, causing Ben to rush into the room.

“What is it?” Ben held Tali in his embrace as she started sobbing.

After a few moments of sobbing in Ben's arms, she calmed down enough that she could speak. “Adam's dead, bike accident.” She shook her head. “I need space, I need to tell Savta.” She got up and walked out of the house, then ran toward Rivka's house, sobbing. She knocked on the door.

It was only a moment before Rivka opened the door. “Oh, Tali. What's wrong?” She enveloped Tali in her hug, and gently guided her into the living room.

“Savta! Savta!” Tali looked at Rivka through tear-blurred eyes.

“Honey, what happened?” Rivka asked. “Is it Ima? Dad?”

Tali sniffled, wiping her tears away from her eyes. She shook her head. “Savta, my dad just called. Adam got in a bike accident, and he died!” Tali wailed. Tears started flowing down Rivka's cheeks as she held Tali close to her and started singing in Hebrew and rocking Tali.

Back at the hospital room, Tony had just walked out of the bathroom after having washed the tears off of his face from all the crying earlier. He paused at the doorway to steady himself and try to clear his head. He heard footsteps walking into the room, and he looked up just in time to see Ziva walking into the room with Becky and AJ. “Hi, Dad,” AJ said as they went to sit on the day bed while Ziva went and sat by Ethan.

“You're back.” Tony smiled and sighed. He slowly walked over to Ziva and sat next to her, rubbing her back, leaning toward her, kissing her on the side of her head. After a moment, he whispered into Ziva's ear. “Just called Tali. Ben's got the kids while she's with your Ima now.” Tony slowly leaned back up and let out a slow breath.

Ziva swallowed and nodded. “Thanks,” was all she could say at the moment.

Tony nodded, then looked at Ethan, contemplating the sudden gaping void left in his heart by the sudden loss of Adam. How his heart ached.

Suddenly, Ethan started stirring in his sleep, and muttered, “Adam...Adam...don’t go...No...no!” His breathing became ragged and his voice more agitated.

Ziva jumped up from her chair and started rubbing Ethan's arm, then rubbing on his chest. “Ethan? It's me, Ima.” She knew that Ethan couldn't hear her, but she said it anyway.

A nurse materialized, seemingly out of nowhere. “He might be having a nightmare. Keep doing what you're doing, it seems to be calming him down some.” She pointed toward Ethan, whose movements were becoming less and less agitated at Ziva's touch.

Ziva looked up at the nurse. “Yeah.” She bit her lip and tried to hold back a tear. “Adam's his -” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “His twin brother.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.” The nurse's voice was calm, soothing. “Ziva, keep talking to him. Let him know you're here for him.”

Ziva nodded and smiled a quick smile, then looked back at Ethan. She rubbed his chest again. “Ethan? Ima's here.”

Ethan slowly stirred awake and looked up at Ziva. “Ima?” He caught sight of Tony next to Ziva. “Dad?”

Tony looked at Ethan. “Hi little man, I'm here.” Tony signed the word “here” and smiled at Ethan. He let out a huge internal sigh of relief that Ethan had made it through so far and sat by Ziva.

Ethan looked around the room, slightly confused, then looked at each person in the room. He took a deep breath, then looked at Tony, then Ziva. _Adam's dead?_ His hands formed the words in the air.

Ziva and Tony looked at each other. They had an unnerving hunch that Ethan knew the moment that it had happened. Ziva reached out and held Ethan's hand, as a tear trickled down her cheek. Her hands flew through the air. _Yes, Adam's dead. Bicycle accident._

“Oh,” Ethan said, the word sounding very small in the still air. He turned toward the window and looked out at the evening sky, a tear falling from his eye.

A sniffle. Tony turned toward the sound. Becky and AJ already had tears from that simple exchange. Tony looked back at Ziva, who was comforting Ethan.

“How he knows, I have no idea,” Tony muttered to no one in particular. A sudden itch cropped up on the back of his head and he reached up to scratch it, wincing at the itch.

Ziva shook her head slightly. _How did you know?_

Ethan shrugged. He whispered as he signed. “I dreamed about him. I dreamed that I got hit hard, and then was flying through the air. It hurt here.” He pointed to his stomach.

Tony gulped and held back tears. He blurted out, “I was in here earlier and he was sleeping and he just opened his eyes and said 'I know, Dad' and then went back to sleep. I ran out of there, it spooked me so bad.”

Ziva looked at Tony and raised an eyebrow. “You didn't tell me?”

Tony slowly shook his head. “That wasn't Ethan talking earlier. That was _Adam_ talking.” His whisper was hoarse.

Ziva let her hand fall to her lap. “What exactly are you saying, Tony?” Suddenly, Ziva's face changed. “Wait, I think I understand.” She sat still for a moment, eyes closed, deep in thought.

Tony leaned over and looked into her face. “Understand what?”

Ziva held up a finger. “What time did he get sick?”

Tony scratched his head. “Had to be around 1:30 in the afternoon-”

“What time did the accident happen?” She reached over and pulled the charts out and flipped through the admission records. “Hm. Says approximately the same thing.”

“Ima?” Ziva turned back toward Ethan. “Why am I here?”

“Well,” Ziva spoke, then sighed. “Apparently you got sick at the same time Adam had his... accident.” This she signed as well as voiced. “The doctors have no idea why, and they want to keep you here for the night to keep an eye on you.”

Ethan nodded. “Oh.” He looked around and saw the nurse. “Hungry.”

“I'll see what I can do.” The nurse smiled at Ethan, then turned to Ziva and said, more quietly, “I'll see if the doctor's okay with him eating something. He may want to start with Jello at first.”

Ziva nodded. “Sounds good.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. No pizza for now.” He let out a sigh.

“Pizza?” Ethan sat up a little straighter in his bed and smiled, albeit a bit weakly.

Ziva turned on Tony and raised an eyebrow. “Look what you've done now.” She shook her head at Tony.

Tony sat up straighter and said, “I said -” and pantomimed “No pizza!”

“But, Dad, pizza sure sounds good.” AJ's voice reached Tony's ears.

“Out. All of you. Go get your pizza elsewhere. Not here.” Ziva shooed them all from the room.

“You want something, Ziva?” Tony asked as she was shooing him out the door.

Ziva shook her head. “Not right now. Save me some salad and some pizza for later.” She winked her eye. “Just when he's asleep,” she whispered and smiled.

AJ and Tony chuckled. Becky said, “I'll be sure the boys don't hog all the pizza for you.”

Ziva chuckled. “Are you planning on stopping by home?”

Tony pointed to his clothes. “Well, of course. I'd like to come back a new man, right?”

Ziva nodded and chuckled. “Go. I'll see you later.” She smiled and waved him off. “Becky, don't forget to pack some of Ethan's things for tomorrow. Get me a set of sweats, while you're at it.”

Becky nodded. “Will do.” She smiled and turned to walk away.

A couple of hours later, Tony and Becky came back into the room. Tony had a fresh change of clothes on and was carrying a small bag for Ziva with her change of clothes and phone chargers. Ziva looked at Tony and Becky as they entered the room. “Oh, hi. They just brought Ethan back.”

“Oh, what tests did they do? CAT scan, MRI?” Tony looked at Ziva as he dropped the bag on the day bed.

Ziva nodded. “I was there almost the whole time with him. He's still a bit drowsy from his medication, so we had to wake him up a few times. The medication's starting to wear out, so he might be a little fussy for a bit.” She shrugged. “At least he was responding to commands.”

Tony nodded. “Ah. Got some clothes for you.” He pointed to the bag.

Ziva nodded. “Thanks.” She reached out for the backpack that Becky was holding. “Ethan's?”

“Yeah, at least I think so.” Becky held out the backpack. “I also got his spare batteries in case he needed them for his sound processors.”

Ziva smiled. “Good thinking. Thanks, this should do for now.”

“I was wondering if it's alright with you, that I go visit John?” Becky asked.

Ziva sat still for just a second with a slightly puzzled look on her face. She suddenly snapped out of it. “Oh, yes, John. I completely forgot. Yes, you can go visit him. I think he'd like that.” She smiled at Becky.

“Great. I'll be back in a bit,” Becky said before walking out the room.

A few moments later, Ethan stirred awake when the nurse walked in carrying a meal tray. “Hi Ethan, dinner time!”

Ethan sat up further in bed and looked at the meal tray. “What do we got?”

The nurse lifted the lid off the meal tray. “Okay, we've got Jello, we've got crackers, and mashed potatoes. Wanna see how you do with soft food first.” Ziva translated what the nurse said to Ethan.

Ethan watched Ziva's signing, then looked down at the tray. He batted the Jello off the meal tray. “No green Jello!” The Jello flew off the tray with enough force to travel in an arc over the side of the bed, landing face down on the floor with a wet splat inches from Tony's feet.

“Whoa little man!” Tony walked around the spilled cup of Jello on the floor, as he went toward to the bed. “Ethan, don't you like green Jello? I thought you did.” Tony tried his best to use his rusty sign language along with his speech.

“No!” Ethan's hand flashed the sign. He looked up at Tony, tears in his eyes, as if he was ready to cry.

The nurse spoke up. “What color would you like instead?”

Ziva turned to the nurse, and she said/signed, “Let's try orange.”

Ethan perked up as his eyes widened open, “Orange Jello, yeah!”

Ziva looked down at Ethan and smiled. “We'll see if they have any in stock,” she signed to Ethan. She then looked up at Tony and whispered, “I think I know why. Anything green reminds him of... Adam.”

Tony sighed and nodded. “They were talking about the color green. His sound processors.”

Just then, the nurse came back in. “Looks like we got some orange in stock. Here you go, young man.” She smiled as she handed him the orange Jello.

“Thanks!” Ethan smiled, and ate a few bites.

Tony leaned over to Ziva. “I'm going over to see how McGeek's doing, I'll be back in a bit.”

“Don't be long.” Ziva smiled and watched him leave.

A short time later, Ethan had finished eating. “All done. Feels better, some.”

The nurse came in. “All done? Need anything else?”

“Can I get cleaned up? I usually have a bath before bed, helps me sleep better.” Ethan pushed his meal tray away from him just a bit on the hospital table.

“Oh, sure, we can certainly do that.” The nurse smiled. She turned to Ziva. “You mind helping?”

“Sure.” Ziva nodded. “He's deaf without his sound processors, so I have to sign to him what he misses.”

“Ah.” The nurse smiled and helped Ethan out of the bed to the shower.

Eventually, Tony returned from visiting McGee and knocked on the shower room door. Ziva opened the door. “Hey Tony, did you pack Adam's clothes in the bag that you brought over?” Ziva whispered into his ear.

Tony shook his head at Ziva. “No, Becky packed that bag. She might have grabbed the wrong clothes by mistake.” He winced slightly. “Why?”

The nurse looked up at Ziva and Tony. “I just checked his vitals, he is stable so far. I think the shower had helped him overall.” The nurse stood up and walked out of the room to change the bed.

Ziva sighed. “A little breakdown in the shower, but we managed to help Ethan through it.” She rubbed at her red-rimmed eyes, wiping away a tear.

Tony sighed. “It was those clothes, huh?” He leaned his tall frame against the wall of the shower room. “Adam's?”

Ziva guided him to the clothes and pulled out a shirt. “He's currently wearing one of Adam's pajama pants, he has no choice.”

Tony sighed gently. “Like I said, Becky packed his bag -” Before Tony could say anything, Becky suddenly walked in the room, stopping by Tony.

Becky had heard what Tony had said. “What's up?”

Tony sighed. “Look at Ethan.” He pointed toward Ethan. He was mentally slapping himself across the face, trying his best to remind himself that this was Ethan in the bed in front of him, not Adam. After all, he had only seen Adam in those pajamas the night before.

Becky saw the look in her father's face, and it stole the words from her mouth. She slowly turned toward Ethan. He was wearing one of Adam's pajama bottoms and had one of Adam's blankets on him. “Did you like what I packed? I thought you would like that.” Becky smiled gently, rubbing Ethan's shoulder.

“These aren't my clothes, they're Adam's.” A tear started forming at one corner of Ethan's eyes. He held the blanket and slowly caressed it.

Becky gasped. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry, I wasn't sure whose was whose. I tried my best to pick out the clothes.” She held her hand to her mouth.

“That's alright, you did awesome, sis.” Ethan's/Adam's voice said.

Becky's head whipped around to Ziva, then back to Ethan. She gasped. That voice sounded so much like Adam! “Uhh, you're welcome!” Her eyes blinked.

Ziva blinked. “Are you sure you're fine with this?” She held out a shirt for Ethan.

Ethan nodded. “He's fine with me wearing it.”

Ziva smiled and nodded. “If it's fine with... Adam... then here's your shirt.” She held out the shirt for Ethan.

Ethan turned to Becky. “Thanks for bringing them over.”

Becky took a deep breath, then gave Ethan a hug, kissing on top of Ethan's forehead, patting his head. “Anytime, my little brother”.   
  


Just then, the sound of raised voices coming from the hallway jangled Ziva's nerves. “Oh! Now what?” She looked at the doorway and sighed.

“Dad?” Becky looked at Tony, then at Ziva, and bit her lip for just a split-second. “Ima, I think I know that voice. The reason I came here was that I was basically kicked out of the room by that woman.” Becky shrugged, then got up and walked over to Ethan's side.

Ziva glanced at Tony, then looked at Becky, eyebrow raised. “Who kicked you out?”

Becky sighed. “John's mother. Uhmm...” she grimaced her face, trying to bring up the name that went with the face, snapping her fingers in the air. “Delilah, I think? She just rolled in there in her chair and told me to get out then laid into Uncle Tim.”

“Wow, what got into that woman?” Tony scoffed. “You would think that it's coming to the end of the world, the way she's carrying on out there.”

Ziva looked at Ethan, who was sleeping peacefully, then she covered him up with the blanket. She then looked at Becky. “Will you sit by him?” She got a nod. “There's some snacks on the table there. I'll go see what's up.” Ziva pivoted on her heels and grabbed Tony's arm just long enough to make him get up, then briskly walked out of the room down the hallway toward the argument.

“- what were you thinking about, John?! You, not paying attention to where your friend was going?” Delilah's voice reached a crescendo as Ziva stopped in the hallway and looked down toward John's room.

“OUT!” John's voice bellowed. “I don't need your drama, _Mother!_ I'm trying to rest here, my headache's killing me.”

Ziva sighed as a moment of silence ensued. She turned in the direction and took a step, but stopped again as she saw Delilah being pushed out of the room by McGee.

“No! Just – you stop right now!” Delilah grabbed the wheels of her chair trying to stop the chair, but McGee manhandled the chair further away from the door and stopped her a short distance away from the room.

“No. I've also had enough. It's been a long day. I don't care if your party night's been ruined, this is your _son_ we're talking about here!” McGee stepped around to face Delilah and held up a finger in the air. “Enough, I said!”

Delilah locked the brakes on her chair and raised a finger in the air. “And what were you doing, not keeping an eye on your son? Sitting around in front of the computer writing your sappy stories? Writing little snippets of code?” She pantomimed typing out on a typewriter. “It's his fault his friend died in the accident!”

“Oh, no, she didn't!” Ziva muttered and started walking briskly down the hallway, fire in her eyes.

McGee saw what was about to happen and took a couple of steps back and slightly out of the way. “No, that's not true!”

Delilah jammed her brakes into the unlocked position and started wheeling toward McGee. “What, are you afraid to confront the truth? That he caused his friend to die?”

McGee flattened himself onto the hallway wall just as Ziva grabbed the handles of Delilah's wheelchair with enough force to cause Delilah to shriek and react as if she got rear-ended, and started wheeling her briskly down the hallway toward the bank of elevators.

“You'll not be saying those things if I were you!” Ziva growled at Delilah.

Delilah tried to grab onto the wheels to stop the chair, but Ziva was too strong. “But-”

Ziva rattled the chair sideways as she bulldozed down the hallway. “My _son_ was his friend! And he died in that accident! How dare you say that?!” Her voice cracked. She turned sharply into the bank of elevators and stopped almost hard enough to unseat Delilah, then spun her around to face her. “You have no right to be saying those things to your son! To McGee!”

“But-” Delilah gulped. She had forgotten how Ziva had looked over the years. What she saw before her was a face full of fury, one that said, you say one more wrong thing and I will take your head off and hand it to you on a silver platter.

“No!” Ziva cut her off. “I will not allow some hussy to come in here and smear them all over the place when it's not even their fault?” Ziva reached behind her and pressed a button.

“That's right!” McGee stepped up beside Ziva. “That's what I was trying to tell you, but you wouldn't shut up!” Spittle flew from McGee's lips as he yelled directly into her face.

Delilah looked sharply at McGee. “You don't have to be so dramatic!”

Ziva put her face an inch away from Delilah's. “No! _You_ have no room here! You will never step foot near my family again, not after what you've said!” Ziva reached up and jammed her fingers on the elevator call button again.

“Whoa, now!” Tony stepped up and put his hand on Ziva's back and started rubbing it. “Let's take it down a notch, okay?” Tony glared at Delilah.

Delilah scoffed. “Sorry I didn't realize it was your son. Which one was it?”

“Are you serious?!” McGee scoffed. “I told you who it was, countless times!”

“Come on!” Ziva muttered through gritted teeth, repeatedly pressing the elevator call button. She scoffed and put her face close to Delilah's again. “Do you do this on purpose, not listen to people? Are you that dumb?”

“No-”

Ziva tilted her head and fire appeared in her eyes again. “Then you'd do well to listen to him.” She abruptly stood up, fixing her with daggers from her eyes. “It was my son Adam. John and Adam were out having a good bicycle ride.” She suddenly zoomed her face in close to Delilah's, causing her to gasp and sit further back in her chair. “And it was _none_ of their fault that this accident happened! Not Tony's, not McGee's, not John's, not Adam's!” Her face was taut, full of fury, as she slowly stood back up.

Tony stood there fuming at Delilah. “And for your information, it was a drunk driver that hit him.”

“And almost hit John, as well.” McGee added, indignant. “And you had the nerve to not even give me room to explain! What kind of woman are you, anyway?” He scoffed.

Ziva jammed her hands into her hips. “You know, it's no wonder McGee took to hanging around with us so much, him and the kids. Then eventually, just him and John, when Morgan went your way and then into the military.” Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Don't look surprised at me, I have my ways of finding out.”

Delilah rolled her chair but got no further than about six inches before Ziva stopped her in her tracks. “Morgan decided -”

“No, _you_ decided! When you left that poor man and his son for whatever big wig political think tank you got drawn into!” The elevator dinged behind them. Ziva glanced up at the elevator doors opening. “Now, if you don't mind, I've got to go to my family.” She shoved Delilah into the elevator. “Don't come back.”

Tony stood there with a bemused look on his face. “Ouch, that's gotta hurt. You done blew it, Delilah.” He held his hands up in the air and shrugged, then let his hands drop to his sides. He sighed, then turned to Ziva.

Delilah looked dejected in her chair. “But-”

McGee turned around and walked away, hand in the air. “Bye, woman. I don't know you anymore.”

The elevator doors closed, and the trio walked back to their rooms.

“McGee, you all good now?” Tony patted McGee's shoulder.

McGee sighed. “Yeah, thanks. For being there.”

Ziva nodded. “McGee, it is not a problem. Sorry I blew up back there, but my anxiety got out of control.” She reached out and held McGee by the shoulders, then smiled and hugged him. “She is not to be near you or my family anymore, right?”

McGee sighed yet again. “All I did was call and tell her about the accident and told her that he's going to be alright. Certainly didn't expect her to come out here like God Almighty making such a big deal out of things.” McGee threw his hand in the air and shrugged. He shook his head at the absurdity of it all.

Tony chuckled slightly. “Well, you've got mama bear over there on the watch. She's got your back, alright.” He reached over and hugged Ziva with one arm and pointed to her with the other, then looked at Ziva and smiled.

Ziva smiled back; her smile was wan and tired. “Thanks.”

McGee stopped at John's room. “I'll go see how he's doing. Hopefully the nurse has been by to give him something for his headache.”

“Not from the concussion?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

McGee scoffed. “No, it's that woman causing him all that stress.”

Ziva let out a short chuckle. “Right. She comes back, she's going away with her head separate from her body.”

Tony laughed quietly. “Let's hope it doesn't come to that.” He held out a hand for Ziva. “Ready?”

Ziva smiled and took Tony's hand. “See you in the morning, McGee.” She waved night to McGee.

During doctor's rounds the next morning, the doctor was poring over the charts as the nurse was taking Ethan's vitals. He looked up from the charts. “So, he's been doing good through the night?”

Ziva nodded. “Was touch and go for a couple hours, but he seems to be doing much better now.” She glanced at Tony.

“Good to hear that.” The doctor turned to Ethan. “How're you feeling this morning?”

Ethan turned to Ziva. Ziva looked at Ethan, suddenly realizing that he was not wearing his sound processors. “Oh, just a second.”

“Hm?” The doctor looked back at Ziva.

Ziva leaned over and grabbed his sound processors, the green ones. “You want?” She held out the processors to Ethan.

Ethan shook his head. “Not in the mood for them.” His face looked very sad, withdrawn.

Ziva glanced at the sound processors, then held them to her chest for a moment, then put them on the side table. _You want to hear the doctor, though?_ Her hands flew through the air, signing to Ethan.

“Maybe later.” A tear appeared at the corner of one of Ethan's eyes. He sighed.

The doctor smiled and patted Ethan on his leg. “Well, as far as I can tell from these charts, you're doing just fine right now. As a matter of fact,” he closed the charts and got up and faced Tony and Ziva more squarely, “I can't quite explain why his numbers yesterday were so off and yet today, healthy as a horse.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “So how would you explain the seizure he had?”

“And at the same time that... Adam... died?” Tony interjected.

The doctor raised his hand up in the air. “I wish I could explain to you how it is with twins. There's studies out there that may explain that connection, but they don't fully understand it at all.”

“Hm.” Ziva raised an eyebrow. “So, he's good to go?”

The doctor smiled and turned to Ethan and asked him yet again, this time slowly. “How are you feeling today?”

Ethan watched doctor's lips form the words. “I'm feeling better but I'm sad. I miss my best friend, my brother.” Ethan shrugged, sighing, thinking about the last conversation he had with his twin brother.

Ziva sighed and held back her tears as she sat on the bed next to Ethan and reached out to rub his shoulder. “Oh, I know you do. We all do, too. We'll get through this together.” She smiled slightly, reassuringly.

Tony stepped over and put his hand on Ethan's head. “Hey, little man. We'll be there for you.” His eyes were rimmed red from off-and-on crying throughout the night as he slept in fits and turns, comforting Ziva. “One day at a time,” said Tony.

The doctor looked at Ethan and smiled. “Your parents are right. Take it one day at a time. You hang in there, okay?” He got up and looked at all three of them. “I think everything looks good. I'm going to let the nurses turn you loose. How's that sound?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Ethan smiled, then shrugged off the covers and sat up further. As he looked down at his PJ pants, he sighed, and looked up at Becky.

“I'm sorry, I brought you the wrong clothes by accident last night.” Becky spoke as she signed.

Tony spoke up. “Yeah, I know they're Adam's. But I think he'd want you to wear them.” He took the bag from Becky and took out a shirt and sweatpants and offered them to Ethan. “Look, everything that was Adam's, is yours now.” The words stuck in Tony's throat, and he swallowed hard.

Ethan took the shirt and sweatpants and looked at them for a few long moments. He looked up at Ziva, then Tony. “Thanks.”

Ziva held back her tears as she looked at Ethan. “Your father's right, I think Adam would not mind at all, he would love you to have them all, it will be alright.” Her hands formed the words at the same time she spoke. She then wiped her tears away and reached out and held Ethan's hands.

Ethan smiled and nodded. “Alright.”

As Tony, Ziva and Becky stepped out of the room to let Ethan change, they looked toward John's room, just in time to see a couple of police officers walking out of the room, followed by McGee.

McGee caught sight of Tony and Ziva. “Good morning, you two.”

“Good morning!” Becky appeared from behind Ziva and walked up toward McGee. “How's John doing?”

McGee smiled. “Much better this morning. You?”

Tony walked up to McGee with a sigh. “Hanging in there. What’s up with the cops?'

McGee looked at Tony and raised an eyebrow. “John's in the clear. They just wanted to ask John some questions about the, uhh, accident. He wasn't really talkative but did answer their questions.” He held up a couple of sheets of papers and smiled. “Got his walking papers, though.”

Tony nodded gently, patting McGee's shoulder, “Yeah. Pretty much the same with Ethan, the not talking part. Give 'em some time.”

McGee nodded. “Yeah. One day at a time, now.” He caught sight of Ziva walking up to them. “Hey Ziva, how is Ethan?”

McGee asked.

Ziva sighed. “Oh, he's -” She stopped as the doctor walked up to them. The look on the doctor's face caused Ziva to turn toward the doctor. “Something wrong?”

“Oh, no, nothing wrong.” The doctor held up his hands. “Just wanted to stop by and say something that I didn't want to say in front of your son.”

“Oh?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

The doctor nodded. “Remember this connection between twins I was talking about?”

Ziva nodded. “Yes, I've noticed certain patterns also. How is this important?” Ziva was suddenly curious. “I'd like to know.”

The doctor sighed and held his hand up in the air for a moment and said, “Well, you both might want to keep an eye on Ethan for a while. I can see that he's probably wrestling with some emotions associated with survivor's guilt. He could become depressed, become withdrawn.” He tilted his head and continued. “Give Ethan as much support, love, and encouragement as you can as he processes things.”

Tony let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I got to try do my best. It's just that, every time I look at Ethan, I see Adam.”

Ziva glanced up at Tony, hugging him as a tear leaked from her eye. “We'll get through this. We need to be strong for our kids.”

Tony nodded. “One day at a time.” It was starting to be his mantra, to get him through this tough period.

Later that day, as Tony pulled up the driveway, Tony and Ziva noticed a car in the driveway, and that Jimmy was standing by his car waiting for them to arrive. Tony winced and then looked at Ziva. “Forgot to tell you. Jimmy called me while I was getting the car from the parking garage. He needed to stop by-”

“I got it, that is alright, it is good to see Jimmy, it had been a while.” Ziva nodded.

Tony smiled and reached up to press the garage door opener button. As the garage door rose, Tony and Ziva looked over the SUV hood, seeing a toolbox and some of its contents in the middle of the garage floor. “Oh!” Ziva choked back tears. “Close it!”

Tony jabbed his finger on the garage door button again, reversing its travel. “Was going to.”

“I'll clean it up.” Ethan opened the door to get out.

“No! Leave it.” Tony said, but he had forgotten that Ethan wasn't wearing his sound processors.

Ziva quickly turned around and stopped Ethan with a hand on his leg. She shook her head, then signed, “Ethan, it's alright, leave it.”

Tony got out of the SUV and walked around to Jimmy, meeting him halfway. “What's up, gremlin?”

Jimmy walked toward Tony, stopping halfway and meeting Ziva and Tony and holding his hand out to Tony for a handshake. “I wish I was here under better circumstances,” he sighed.

Tony took Jimmy's hand and shook it. “You and me both. All of us, actually.” He looked at Ziva as she held Ethan toward her as they walked up.

“Well, the reason I stopped by is we received Adam's body. Breanna's handling the details, I just came over to pick up whatever clothes you want him to wear.” Jimmy smiled. “I'm just not up to speed on your customs.”

Ziva smiled. “Sure, not a problem.” She turned to Ethan. “Do you want to help pick out things for Adam?”

Ethan nodded with a small smile on his face. “Sure, I'll help.” He turned toward the house and walked up into it, with Ziva close behind.

Tony watched them go inside, then sighed and looked up at the sky. “Not gonna be the same now,” he muttered to himself.

“What's that?” Jimmy asked.

Tony turned to Jimmy. “Gonna be a doozy for me, because every time I look at Ethan I see Adam. He even talks like Adam every so often.” He reached up to scratch the sudden itch that popped up at the back of his head. “Spooks me to the core something terrible, if you ask me.”

“Yeah.” Jimmy shook his head. “I have to tell myself that there's an exact copy of him laying there on the table, the resemblance is so strong.”

Tony guffawed. “Must make you have nightmares the day after, huh? Sort of a 'Back from the Living Dead' moment?”

Jimmy chuckled. “You know it.” Suddenly he jumped at the sound of the front door opening suddenly, and he looked in that direction, to see Ethan walking toward them. Ethan was carrying a box with some of Adam's possessions.

Tony noticed that Ethan had his sound processors on. The orange ones. “Hey, little man, hear me again?” He smiled.

Ethan looked up at Tony and nodded. “I think Adam would like these.” He held up the box to Jimmy.

“Thank you, Ethan.” Jimmy took the box and smiled.

“Where's Ima?” Tony asked Ethan.

Ethan shrugged. “She's on Adam's bed, crying.”

Tony sighed. “I better go check on her. Thanks for taking care of -” He swallowed a lump. “Of everything.”

Jimmy shook his head. “It's not a problem for us. I'll let you know when all the arrangements have been made for transporting Adam to... Israel?”

Tony cleared his throat. “Uhm, yes, Israel. I'll let Tali know when you give me more details.” He nodded his head numbly. “Keep in touch?”

“Always.” Jimmy smiled. He turned to his car and got in and pulled away.

Tony put his arm around Ethan's shoulder. “Let's go in, shall we?”

Ethan looked up at Tony and smiled. “Sure.” They started walking to the house.

Just then, the honking of a car horn reached their ears, causing them to stop in their tracks and turn toward the car, which was pulling up into the driveway.

“Well, hello!” Tony called out, holding out his arms in the air.

Ethan held out his arms, then pantomimed laying on the horn, laughing as he pointed toward AJ getting out of the car.

“Thought I'd stop by.” AJ stretched his tall frame out of the car.

Becky got out of the rear of the car. “Hi, Dad. I was at McGee's house when AJ stopped by.”

A shorter feminine figure got out of the passenger side of the car. “Hello, everybody.”

Tony looked at her. “And who might this be?” he asked, chuckling at AJ.

AJ chuckled. “Dad, meet Channah.” He spelled out the name for Ethan's benefit.

Ethan's eyes suddenly lit up. _See? Girlfriend!_ He laughed as his hands flitted through the air, forming the words.

Tony scoffed and held out a finger in the air in front of Ethan. “Not now.” But he was chuckling to himself, slightly. He then turned toward the house. “Come in, y'all.” He walked with Ethan into the house, and Becky, AJ and Channah followed.

As they walked into the house, they met Ziva walking down the stairs. They noticed that her eyes were bloodshot from crying. Tony walked over to her and hugged her. “You okay?”

Ziva nodded into Tony's shoulder. She stepped back. “Yes. I'll be fine.” She sighed and turned to AJ and smiled. “Welcome back. Who is this young lady?” She turned to look at Channah.

AJ stepped forward and glanced at Channah before looking at Ziva. “Ima, this is Channah, the girl I've been telling you about before.”

Ziva smiled and shook Channah's hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Well, seeing as it's getting close to dinner, you wanna stay over?” Tony smiled.

“Pizza?” Ethan piped up. “Hospital wouldn't let me.”

“Oh, you must be hungry, Ethan.” Ziva smiled at Ethan.

Ethan nodded. “Starving.”

Ziva turned to Tony. “You know the place.”

Tony chuckled as he pulled his phone out and hit the speed dial for the pizzeria delivery.

Later that evening, AJ and Channah went back to their apartment so AJ could pack for his trip, and Tony and Ziva had retreated to their bedroom as Becky and Ethan were in their respective bedrooms getting ready for the upcoming trip.

“Well.” Tony sighed as he flopped onto the bed and stretched out. “What a day.”

Ziva shook her head, a tear streaking down her cheek. She kneaded her hands. “Not going to be the same without him now,” she sighed.

Tony sat up and hugged her from behind. “Hey now, it'll be okay.” But he knew, deep down, that nothing will ever be normal again, in the way things had been before, and hated himself for saying it.

“No, Tony.” She turned to him. “Now, every time I look up and see Ethan enter the room, I expect to see Adam with him, and now that's not going to happen. I'm not going to be able to hear and see their funny little inside conversations they have.” More tears streaked down her cheeks.

Tony's emotions ran raw as a tear leaked out of his eyes. He sighed and hugged her closer to him. “I know, sweetcheeks. The way he talks makes it hard for me, too.”

Just then, a loud banging sound jarred them and they jumped. “Oh!” Ziva listened. More banging.

The door to their bedroom opened. Becky stuck her head through the doorway. “Ima, Dad? What's that?”

Ziva swung her legs to the floor. “I think it's Ethan.” She walked toward Ethan's room, and she heard him swearing in Hebrew. She rounded the corner into his bedroom and saw Ethan frustratedly trying to open a drawer on his dresser.

“What's going on?” Tony followed not far behind.

“Ethan!” Ziva rushed into the room to try to stop Ethan, but Ethan was so frustrated that he was not paying attention to who was in the room. He yanked one of the drawers out and flung it aside, then another. He tried the stuck drawer again, but it kept jamming up on him.

Ziva looked at Tony. “Tony! Do something!”

Tony stood rooted in his spot. He had never seen Ethan so angry.

Ziva sighed sharply and went up to Ethan and hugged him in a bear hug. “It's okay, Ethan! I'm here!”

“No!” Ethan screamed and struggled, but only for a moment.

Ziva held him tighter in her embrace and moved toward the bed and sat down in it, holding onto Ethan, allowing him to let out all of his emotions, let the tears flow. She looked up at Tony. Her eyes said it all: First night without Adam home. He's taking it hard.

Tony sighed and looked back. I don't know, his eyes said.

Ziva tilted her head at him and raised an eyebrow. We'll talk, her eyes said. She looked down to Ethan. “Hey, it's okay. I'm here. Can you tell me what's wrong?”

“That stupid drawer!” Great heaving sobs came from Ethan's body, shaking Ethan with each heave.

Ziva's tears flowed as she rocked Ethan and consoled him. “I've got you. Were you looking for something in there?”

Ziva felt Ethan nod under her arms. “Uh-huh.” He squirmed out from her arms and went back to the dresser and started yanking on it. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, he gave the dresser a hard kick and then yanked on the drawer yet again. This time it came open with a jolt, causing Ethan to fall over backwards and his neon green sound processor that had been laying on top of the dresser to fall into the drawer. “Oof!”

Ziva got up and caught Ethan just as his rump hit the floor. “Oh! Got you.”

Ethan got back up and went back to the offending drawer. He looked inside it and saw what he was looking for – and something else caught his attention. He noticed that his sound processor had landed on something that he had completely forgotten about: an unopened birthday card from Adam. He dropped what he was looking for and reached in to pick the sound processor and card up and looked closely at the card, turning it over in his hands.

“You find what you're looking for?” Tony asked.

Ethan looked up. “Yeah, I think so.” He turned back to the dresser and sighed.

Tony nodded. “You know that you're cleaning this up?”

“I'll take care of it, Dad.” Ethan hiccupped once, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Come here.” Ziva reached out and grasped Ethan's hand and pulled him to sit on the bed between the two. “Sit here, please.”

“Ima, Dad... I am sorry about the dresser. It's starting to fall apart, though.” Ethan sniffled, holding the card to his chest, shielding it from his parents' view.

Ziva looked at Ethan, gently wiping his tears from his cheek. “No need to apologize. I do completely understand your frustration.” She looked into Ethan's eyes. “I sometimes have a hard time with it.” She sighed. “I lost my sister at around the same age as you. Your aunt Tali.”

“My Aunt Tali?” Ethan paused to think about the name.

Ziva smiled and patted Ethan's shoulder. “Yes, my sister. When I lost my sister, I was also angry, sad, and frustrated.” She sighed. “During that time I felt alone, because nobody was there to help me through that time. Now, I have Dad, and you kids, to keep me going.” She smiled at Ethan.

Tony waved to get Ethan's attention as he walked into the room “I lost my mother – your grandmother – around the same time as your age as well.”

“You did?” Ethan looked at both of them. “I mean, at my age?”

Ziva nodded. “I know it is hard, but it gets easier when you have all of us having your back. We love you so much. We will heal together, as a family.” She sighed and smiled. “If you need anything from us, do not hesitate to let us know.” She patted Ethan on his lap. Inside, her emotions were still raw, because the memory of her sister Tali had come to the surface.

“Anything I need?” Ethan looked up at Ziva. “Even just to talk?”

Ziva nodded and smiled. “I know I have been sad lately, because it is so hard for me to see you lose your brother and see myself in your shoes after those years of losing my sister. We have a lot in common.”

Ethan sat up in his bed. “But what about AJ and Becky? Tali? Will they understand?”

Tony sighed. “Maybe not as well as you and Ima.”

Ziva nodded. “Give them time. But I think your brother and sisters will understand in time.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Ethan nodded and brought the card up to his chest.

Tony stood up. “You gonna be okay for the night?”

Ethan looked up and nodded. “Think so.”

Ziva smiled gently. “Are you going to have things packed up and ready for the trip tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that's the reason why I was beating on the dresser, I wanted this one shirt to wear for the trip. I'll clean it up, I promise.” Ethan smiled at Ziva.

Ziva smiled and stood up. “Okay, good night and we'll see you in the morning.” She waved as she walked out of the room, guiding Tony out of the room, flashing an ILY sign and blowing a kiss.

Tony stuck his head through the door at the last second and said, “'Night!”

Ethan smiled and said to them, “Good night.”

After Ziva and Tony walked out of the room, Ethan sat down on the bed and looked at the card he had been holding. He realized that he hadn't opened the card since June, when the twins had their 14th birthday. He ripped open the top of the envelope and pulled out the card, and a note fell out of the card. He quickly read the card, then turned to the note and started reading it. As he read further in the note and turned the page, a tear started flowing from his eye, and he folded the note and looked out the window. He sat, looking out the window, thinking, a calm enveloping his being, as if Adam had been standing there next to him, reassuring him that everything would be alright. After a few long moments of contemplation, he folded the note the rest of the way and pulled a duffel bag that he was packing close to him. He put the note back in the card and then put the card into a side compartment on the duffel bag.

Meanwhile, in Tony and Ziva's bedroom, Ziva strode over to the radio and turned on the music, then turned to face Tony. She sighed. “What was that back there? Your standing there and doing nothing?”

Tony gulped. “I've never seen him that mad before.”

Ziva shook her head angrily and fixed Tony with her trademark angry-stare. “Adam is not here, Ethan is! It's time for you to be his father. Be there for him!” She held out a hand in the general direction of Ethan. “He is your son, too. All these years you've gotten along better with Adam and Ethan got close to me.” She scoffed. “I do understand how he feels. He's got to be wondering where his father is in all of this. Don't do the same thing that Eli did to me.” There was fire in her eyes.

Tony gulped. “I... didn't realize how I was treating Ethan. All because it was 'easy' for me to talk with Adam when Ethan doesn't have his ears on.” He sighed and smacked himself on the back of his head.

“Well, Adam's not here, Ethan is!” she repeated what she had said before. “And you've got to remember that. Be there for him.” She looked more intently into Tony's eyes. “I can't do it all without you.” Tears started flowing from her eyes.

This hit Tony to the core. He reached out and brought her into his hug. “I'll do my best to be there for him. And you, too.” His voice was barely above a hoarse whisper.

Ziva sighed and looked out the window and cuddled further into Tony's embrace. “I mean it, Tony.” She sighed at his touch; it calmed her.

“I got ya.” Tony felt the stress leave Ziva's muscles under his hands and arms. “I love you, my sweetcheeks. At lo levad.”

Ziva snuggled up closer to Tony. After a moment, she said, “I know.” She turned partway to him and smiled. “Love you, too.”

“Always and forever?” Tony smiled back at her.

Ziva chuckled. “Yes, always and forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Readers, this remaining story will be picked up in next chapter 11, which will be coming up soon. Thank you for the Kudos, Messages, and Tweets.


	11. Shooting Stars

Chapter 11

~~Eight months after Adam's burial~~

Ziva and Tony both sat down at the kitchen table with their cups of coffee, enjoying the fragrance of the freshly-brewed coffee. Ziva looked up at the calendar, which was on June 2039, looking at the circled-in date, and sighed.

“Yeah, I know.” Tony's voice cut through her thoughts. She had been thinking about how this year was going to be the first birthday with one twin no longer around. “Can't imagine what he's gonna think about today,” Tony sighed.

Ziva nodded and took a sip of her coffee, deep in thought. She carefully set her cup down. “Let's hope today turns out to be a good birthday for Ethan.” She flashed a smile at Tony.

“Yeah, let's keep a positive face on things.” Tony smiled before taking a sip of his coffee. “Ooh, just right.” He blew over the coffee a couple of times to cool it just a bit.

Ziva smiled, then looked toward the doorway, where she heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. She saw Ethan walking into the kitchen, hair disheveled from the previous night's sleep.

Tony let out a small sigh. “Oh, fer....” he muttered to himself. That pajama shirt that Ethan was wearing always bothered him for just the first millisecond he laid his eyes on them; for a moment Ethan looked exactly like Adam when he had just woken up.

“Good morning, Ethan.” Ziva smiled while she spoke and signed to him. She had noticed that he didn't have his sound processors on. He usually didn't put them on until after breakfast, anyway. “No breakfast. We're going out for brunch.”

Ethan smiled sleepily. “Sounds good. I'll be a few minutes.” He walked over to the sink and got himself a drink, then turned to walk back out of the room.

Ziva caught his attention. “Don't be long.” She smiled. “Remember? We leave for the beach house for the weekend. So, make sure you're packed and ready.”

Ethan's eyes brightened. “Oh, that's right! I almost forgot. Uncle Tim coming too?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, we're picking him up.” He signed the word “picking up” as he spoke.

“'Kay, I'll be down in a few.” Ethan smiled and went to his room to get ready for the weekend.

Eventually, after about an hour's drive, they stopped at a family-run Mexican restaurant. After the waitress led them to a table by a large window, Tony and Ziva sat at the table facing Ethan and McGee and glanced over their menus.

“Ethan?” Tony dropped his menu and looked up at Ethan. Ethan hadn't heard him over the noise. He gently tapped the table, getting Ethan's attention. “Get whatever you want. It's your birthday, you know.” Tony smiled and waved his hand at the menu that Ethan was holding. 

Ethan looked up at Tony. “Really? Cool.” He dropped his head back to the menu. “I was thinking of, let's see now... ah. How about this Burrito Grande, and maybe some nacho chips?” Ethan jabbed his finger at his choice on the menu.

Tony chuckled. “That burrito's a good choice.” He looked up at the ceiling, going back down memory lane. “That reminds me of how your Ima loved to wait until I was  _ just  _ about to bite into my big burrito and then, steal it right from my hand and take a bite out of it. Started way back in those days when we were working with Gibbs.” Tony turned to Ziva and smiled. “You remember that?” 

Ziva laughed. “Oh, yes. For some reason, his burritos would always taste better than mine.”

McGee chuckled at that memory and mimed Ziva waiting and watching, then snatching an imaginary burrito out of someone's hand. “Zwoop! She'd just grab it out of your hand, have a bite then gave it back to you before you knew what happened.”

Ziva chuckled at Tony and McGee, then turned to Ethan and waggled her eyebrows and smiled. “Well, Ethan, you better watch out because I will do the same thing to you.”

Ethan laughed at Ziva. “No, you're not getting my burrito!”

“You guys ready to order?” The bright cheerful voice of the waitress reached their ears.

“Oh, yes. Let's order up for the birthday boy here.” Tony smiled and pointed to Ethan.

“Oh, happy birthday to you! What would you like?” The waitress asked Ethan, who ordered up his food of choice. “Oh, that's a good choice, especially today.” She jotted down the order.

“Thanks,” Ethan smiled and handed the menu back. “I'd also like a little thing of nacho chips if you've got that as well?”

“No worries, we'll be bringing that out to the table anyway, with some salsa sauce.” The waitress flashed a smile, then turned to the rest of the family. “And may I take your orders?” The waitress held her pad and pen at the ready.

After lunch, the trio got into the SUV and headed out for the beach house. As soon as Tony made it a few blocks past the restaurant, his eye caught sight of something that reminded him of the upcoming trip. He turned to Ziva briefly. “Hon? Need anything from the store before we head on out?”

Ziva snapped her eyes off the phone display she was reading and turned to Tony. “Oh, yes, I wanted to stop by at the food store to get what we needed for the weekend.” She glanced in the back. She saw that Ethan was busy talking with McGee. She nodded slightly, satisfied that his attention was elsewhere. “Just heard from Tali.”

Tony raised his eyebrow as he glanced over at Ziva. “Yeah? She doing good?” He looked ahead again. “Oh, here we are.” He turned into the entranceway to the grocery store and found a parking spot.

Ziva smiled. “Yup. All's set.” She gathered up her purse and her shopping list, ready to exit the car the moment it stopped.

“Here we are.” Tony put the transmission into park as he finished parking in his slot. “Ethan, McGeek, we'll be back in a few.” He turned to them and smiled as he stepped out of the car.

McGee raised a hand. “No problem, we'll just chill here.”

“We're good.” Ethan smiled.

Ziva and Tony joined up and walked into the store. “Tali's there with the kids,” Ziva said as she strode toward the store.

Tony turned his head toward Ziva as he matched her stride. “Yeah? Sounds like she had a smooth flight in. What'd she have to say?”

As they stepped through the entryway, Ziva nodded. “Everybody else is there also, she got there half an hour after they arrived.”

Tony smiled. “Ah, sounds good. They need anything before we get out of here?”

“That's where we're headed. She said something about needing some extra food, and I told her we were getting more food.” 

Tony nodded. “Right on, lead the way.” He held out his hand and smiled.

A couple of hours later, Tony pulled up into the driveway, and opened the garage door. As soon as the door fully opened, he pulled the SUV up into the garage. As soon as the SUV stopped, Ziva got out of the car. “I've got to go into the kitchen. You guys can go ahead unload from the back.” Ziva smiled at them, then turned and walked into the house.

Tony smiled. “Right. Alright, boys, let's unload.” He hit the rear-hatch-open button as he stepped out and walked toward the back.

“Made it, finally.” Ethan met Tony at the back and pulled out his own bags.

McGee turned to Ethan and nodded as he pulled his own bag toward him. “Smooth traffic all the way, right?”

“Yup.” Ethan smiled and walked into the house.

Ziva stopped in the middle of the kitchen and listened. She thought she could hear... something. “Tali?” she called out quietly. Just then, her phone dinged. An eyebrow shot up as she pulled her phone out and looked at the display, smiling at the text that appeared.

“Ima?” Ethan appeared beside her, smiling.

Quickly putting the phone away, she looked at Ethan and smiled. “Oh, you're here, Ethan.” She emphasized his name slightly. Ziva heard the sound of slight giggling coming from the general vicinity of the pantry closet. “Let's see what we need to do first.” She walked over to open the door, quickly glanced in, then just as quickly shut the door. “I just realized something. Could you help make room in the pantry for the food we just bought?” She pointed toward the pantry.

“Oh, sure.” Ethan looked at the pantry, then back at Ziva. “Something wrong?” He had seen the look on her face.

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “Oh, nothing – just forgot that we had left a bit of mess in there.” She smiled innocently.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Sure we did.” He walked over to the door anyway, and pulled the door open and -

“Unka Ethan!” Brett squealed in delight.

“Oh!” Ethan stepped back, taking in the sight of Tali with Brett and Sarah. Tali shouted “Surprise! Happy birthday!” 

Brett jumped up, squealing in laughter while Sarah jumped up and down “Unka!” they squealed in unison.

“Thought we would surprise you, just like old times right?” Tali tilted her head toward Ethan, her eyes and mouth smiling. 

Ethan gasped in surprise. “Tali!” Ethan ran up and hugged Tali. “Didn't think you'd come.”

Tali scoffed. “What, me miss your birthday? Never!” She batted her hand in the air.

McGee called out from the adjoining dining room. “Hey, look, out on the beach. Who's that?” He quickly pointed out the window.

“Yeah, I see 'em.” Tony stepped up to the dining room doorway and pointed out toward them.

Ziva turned and looked out the window. “Ethan, I can't see who they are exactly, will you go out and see who they are? They look like they're headed for here.”

“Who?” Ethan stepped over to Tony, and followed Tony's pointing finger.

Just then, the taller of the two distant figures raised an arm and waved vigorously.

Ethan squinted. “Is that AJ?”

“Why don't you go and see?” Tony prodded Ethan slightly. “My eyes, you know.” In reality, he could see just fine.

Ethan automatically opened the door and stepped out. “AJ?” He yelled out as he took a few steps. “Is that you?”

The figure started running toward him. “Yeah, bro!”

“Yeah!” Ethan took off running, and slammed into the distant figure in a full bearhug.

Tony and Ziva chuckled.

“Good to see them together again.” Tali walked up toward them.

Ziva turned to Tali and smiled. “It's been somewhat rocky the last few months for Ethan. Just started getting a little better recently.”

Tony sighed. “Kid could use a pick-me-up moment like this.” He turned to Brett. “Hey, little man!”

“PaPaw!” Brett waddled up to him, arms stretched out in the air. “Uppie?”

Tony laughed. “Uppie you come!” He swooped down and swept Brett up into the air and into his arms, causing him to squeal in delight.

Ziva chuckled. “Tony. You're not that young anymore, be careful.” She waggled a finger at him.

Tony chuckled at Ziva. “Oh, he's not that heavy.”

“Yes, but he squirms. Keep that in mind.” Ziva smiled.

Tali laughed. “Here you go, Ima.” She handed Sarah over to Ziva, then shook out her hands. “Glad the flight in was smooth. The babies were wonderful on the plane.” Tali sighed and looked out the window.

Ziva nodded and smiled. “Too bad your Savta and Ben couldn't make it in.”

Tali turned back to Ziva. “Yeah. Ben's been real busy, working on his latest mission debrief for the Mossad. He was okay with me and the kids coming out to visit.”

“And Savta?” Ziva tilted her head at Tali. “She's doing okay?”

Tali smiled. “That's the thing. I was planning on bringing Savta with me, but Aunt Jessica showed up out of the blue, with her two kids.”

“Oh?” Ziva raised an eyebrow and smiled. “That's good, how's she been doing? I haven't heard from her in so long.”

Tali sighed. “Well, she's doing great with her two kids now. She's glad she left that hot mess of a law firm and her husband too. Changed over to real estate, because she's got more time for her kids that way.”

“Oh, that's nice. The law firm's what's been keeping her busy?” Ziva looked at Sarah as she cooed in her arms, then back at Tali.

“A big part of why she left the firm. Overworked and underpaid.” Tali chuckled. “She told me her boss was a chauvinistic prick.”

Ziva scoffed. “Can't stand the type. Good that she left the firm. So, she's doing good in real estate?”

“Oh, Ima, she's like in the top ten earners position for her company.” Tali smiled. “I'd say she's doing really well.”

McGee turned from the window he was looking out of and smiled. “I'm going to step outside for a bit. I think I see someone I know coming up.”

“Oh?” Ziva turned to look out the window, and her eyes brightened at the sight of John and Becky walking up to the beach house.

“Oh, there they are.” Tony chuckled. “Was wondering if they were gonna make it in after all. Go on out there, McGeek.” Tony shooed him on.

“Here, let me take him.” Tali reached out and plucked Brett out of Tony's arms, who had fallen asleep. “I'll put him in the pen.”

Ziva nodded. “I'll help, Sarah's also asleep.” She followed Tali to the play pen and laid Sarah down alongside Brett before returning to the kitchen.

McGee chuckled slightly. “I'll be back.” He headed out the door to meet up with John and Becky.

Tali smiled. “I'll go with you as well, I wanna say hi to everybody.” She followed McGee.

Tony chuckled. “Perfect time to start the cookout, doncha say? I'll get the grill warmed up.”

Ziva smiled and opened the door. “I think the babies will be fine in here for a few. I'll help set the deck up, then be back in here with the food.” She stepped out to the deck, and Tony trailed closely behind.

“Hey, everybody!” Tony waved at everyone as he walked past to the grill and smiled. He started setting up the grill.

Later in the early evening, as the clouds started clearing away, AJ started rushing about setting up his telescope on the beach in front of the deck, while Channah and Ethan were helping.

“Something happening?” John asked.

AJ looked up. “Annular solar eclipse, supposed to happen any minute now.”

Becky gasped. “Oh, that's right! I read something about that today.”

John looked at Becky. “I did too, the other day, totally forgot.” They both turned to watch AJ and Channah and Ethan set up the telescope. “How do you view an eclipse, anyway, AJ?”

AJ reached into his telescope accessories case and pulled out a large circular object. “With this, a solar filter. Goes on the front of the telescope.”

Tony looked out over the beach, surveying the whole scene that lay in front of him, taking in the sights and sounds of the youngsters setting up the telescope. He sighed and stood up, then walked up to the deck rails and looked up at the sky, contemplating things, how they had been these past few months. Man, these last eight months, what a roller coaster, he thought to himself. He then looked down at AJ setting up the telescope, surrounded by the other three members of the entourage. He turned his ears to the conversation happening nearby; he could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation.

“Sky's getting darker all of a sudden.” Tony turned to look at Ziva, who had just appeared beside him. She tilted her head toward AJ and the others. “They're happy.”

Tony smiled and nodded. “Annular eclipse, AJ said. Moon's passing in front of the sun right about now.” He turned to Ziva and smiled. “They're happy to see each other again.”

Ziva walked up closer to Tony and took ahold of his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. “This is beautiful , the way the sun makes everything look.”

“Yeah, it does.” Tony smiled and kissed the top of her head before turning back to look at AJ and the others. He could see that Ethan was enjoying his time, having fun taking a look through the telescope, marvelling at the eclipse, letting the others have their viewing time.

Just then, as the eclipse reached its peak, a resounding “Happy birthday, Ethan!” sounded out from where the telescope stood.

AJ waved and called out. “Ima, Dad! Wanna come take a look? You too, Uncle Tim.”

“Oh, yes!” Ziva smiled and quickly walked over to the telescope, followed closely by Tony.

“Here, let me.” AJ quickly took the eyepiece off and put a CCD chip on the eyepiece adapter. An image of the eclipse popped up in its full glory on the laptop screen.

“Oh!” Tony gasped. “Wow, that's awesome!” He pointed to the outline of the moon passing in front of the sun.

Ziva leaned in slightly closer. “Yeah, see? You've got more than half of the sun covered.” She looked up at the sky, in the general direction of but not directly at the sun. The sky looked like someone had turned the lights down halfway, and the air felt cool. “You feel that?” Ziva said out loud.

AJ looked up at Ziva. “Yeah, it's cool because not as much heat is getting to us, same thing as light.”

McGee looked at the sky, then at the screen. “Very neat to see this. He pointed toward the image on the screen. “Did you see that?”

Ethan said, “Yeah! That looked like the space station passing in front of the telescope, cool!”

Tony sighed. “ Good to see him happy, again ,” He said in an undertone as he tilted his head slightly toward Ethan.

Ziva glanced up at Tony. “Yes. I feel the same. He's not been the same since -” She couldn't bring herself to talk about Adam, not just yet.

Tony nodded softly. “Oh yeah, took me a while to finally get through to Ethan. Thanks for helping me out. Even if it meant you had to walk out on me for a month or so.” He knew that he hadn't exactly been keeping up his end of the promise with his relationship with Ethan up to the day that Adam had died.

Ziva tilted her head toward Tony and chuckled slightly. “Well, I didn't have much choice in the matter at the time. Ima was under the weather and didn't want Tali or her kids to get sick.” She smiled slightly. “Glad that Jessica was able to come out eventually and help out.”

Tony reached out his arm around Ziva, looking at her. “Yeah, well, it was a bit of an eye-opener for me. Thinking about how I had taken the easy way out all the time.” He sighed and looked back out at Ethan. “That little man taught me more things in that month than I ever learned with Adam in his time here.”

Ziva looked at Tony. “Oh? Still reminds you of him a bit, though?” She smiled slightly.

Tony sighed. “Yes, in a good way now. It's like, he's got pieces of Adam in him now.” He smiled and looked at Ethan once more. “Look at him. He loves adventuring now. Some of the things that Adam did, he's doing now.”

Ziva smiled. “An embodiment, then. Like the twins become one, within Ethan.”

Tony had a slightly puzzled look on his face as he slowly turned to Ziva. “Funny you should say that. Some days I could swear I'm talking to Adam, the way Ethan talks. Some days, it's clearly Ethan. How's that work, again?”

Ziva chuckled slightly. “One of those things you can't easily describe, only see in action as it happens. Like Ethan took upon Adam's role, but in his own way.”

“That's right.” Tony's eyebrows raised slightly, in understanding. “Like he wants to respect his brother, in his way?”

Ziva shook her head slightly. “Beyond that. More like, Adam is embodied within him now, and now Ethan does everything that Adam does, but in his own style and way.”

Tony smiled. “So that makes sense why it suddenly became a little easier for me to relate to Ethan. Because I was relating to the Adam within him.”

Ziva nodded. “Something like that. More like a balance between us two.” Her eyes told Tony a lot more.  _ We share the load evenly now, _ her eyes said, _ with regard to Ethan. _

Tony's eyes flashed in acknowledgement. He hugged Ziva and pecked her cheek. Just then, they heard footsteps, and they looked up at the stairs.

“Enjoying yourselves?” McGee called out to John and Becky from his deck chair. He had sat down earlier because his back had started bothering him. That old injury had never fully healed right.

John waved at McGee as he walked up toward the house. “Yeah. Got to see a space station flying past at the same time as the eclipse.” He smiled.

“Whoa, cool!” McGee's eyebrows raised in amazement.

Becky sat down while John went into the house. “Ah, beautiful out here.”

Ziva looked up and smiled. “It is, indeed. Glad we came out here.” She turned as Ethan walked up to Ziva. “Enjoying yourselves?” She signed to Ethan as he walked up.

Ethan smiled and nodded. “Best birthday I ever had in a long time. Thanks, Ima, Dad.” He walked to his chair by Ziva's and plopped himself into it.

AJ and Channah stayed behind for a couple of minutes putting dust covers on the telescope for the time being.

Tony smiled and sat in his chair and looked up at the sky as the sky started darkening, turning into dusk. “Ah, it's good to be out here for a change. Wouldn't you say?” He reached up and gently pulled Ziva to her chair.

Ziva smiled as she sat into her chair, and leaned toward Tony. “Yes, and have family with us. That means you, too, McGee.” She smiled at him.

McGee chuckled. “It's good to see John up and about and back to his active self. Still has the occasional migraines, though.” He shook his head slightly. “Never had 'em before the accident, now that I recall it.”

“Oh?” Ziva looked at McGee.

“Good thing he's got a thick noggin,” Tony chuckled.

McGee let out a derisive chuckle. “Hate seeing him suffer with those migraines, though. He's had to set up his bedroom special, keep it pitch black when he's having one of those migraines.”

“I can only imagine.” Ziva sighed.

“Ah, I'm back. Just put the kids down for their bedtime.” Tali quickly walked over to an empty chair and sat the baby monitor next to her. “Got my ears out just in case.” She smiled.

“Easy to take care of?” McGee raised an eyebrow.

Tali chuckled. “Oh, they've never caused much issue for me. How about you, was it the same?”

McGee guffawed. “Hardly. John took after me, he was the easy-going one. Morgan was a handful, though.” He snorted derisively. “Surprised she lasted this long with that woman before she took off and joined the military. I don't blame her, she signed up the moment she turned 18.”

Tony laughed. “I can see why. That woman needs a good dose of Thorazine, or something. Good thing John kicked her out of the room, he didn't need her drama.”

McGee laughed. “Yeah, well. Heard from Morgan recently. Couple months back.” He smiled and tilted his head. “Wants to meet up sometime soon. She's got leave coming up, didn't say when.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “That's good that you and she get along well enough. Give her our regards, will you?”

“Will do next time I email her,” McGee said as he smiled.**

Moments later, John came out of the house, carrying a cooler full of drinks. He set it down on the deck in the middle of the circle of chairs and pulled out two drinks, one for himself and one for Becky. “Here you go, Bec'.”

“Thanks.” Becky smiled as she took the drink from John.

“No problem.” John smiled, then looked up at the sky, in deep thought.

Just then, a very bright shooting star streaked across the sky, lighting up the beach out over the ocean.

“Oh!” AJ exclaimed. “Look at that!”

Ethan jumped up out of his chair. “Whoa!” He pointed in the sky at the shooting star.

Tony stared, transfixed at the sight. “Wow. Once in a lifetime.”

Channah walked up to AJ and hugged him as she looked up out at the shooting star. “Amazing!”

AJ glanced back at her. “Yeah, it is, isn't it?” He hugged her close and watched as a series of shooting stars rained across the darkening sky.

“It's like he's up there, telling us it's okay.” Ethan absentmindedly said, staring at the shooting stars.

Tony turned sharply toward Ethan. “Come again?”

Ziva got up and walked closer to Ethan. “Who's up there?” She looked up at the sky.

Ethan looked at Ziva. “Adam. I was saying happy birthday to him, and he said it back.”

A chill ran down Ziva's spine, but she smiled to hide it. “Adam said that?”

“Yup. You saw that shooting star, didn't you?” Ethan smiled.

Ziva raised an eyebrow, then sat back in her chair. Her eyes locked onto Tony's and she saw his eyes.

“Wow.” Tony muttered. _Yeah, I saw it, too_ , his eyes told her.

“Uhm.” John cleared his throat.

Becky looked at John and put a hand on his lap. “You feel that?” she asked quietly.

AJ and Channah both simultaneously said “I felt that, too!”

John gulped. A certain sense of  _ feeling _ had reverberated throughout everyone present at the same time the shooting star appeared, followed by a series of shooting stars. They all had a sudden sense of calm, of a sense of well-being, wholesomeness. “I feel at peace all of a sudden.”

Tali nodded. “Same here. The moment I wished him happy birthday I felt that same kind of peace come.”

“So what exactly happened?” Ethan blurted out, without thinking. He looked up at John.

John was taken aback by the question. He looked down and sighed. “Uhm, where to start,” he whispered to himself. He took a moment to frame his thought, putting his head into his hands for a moment and thinking. “Remember when you went to get your sound processors taken care of that day?”

Ethan sat up straighter. “Yeah. The ones I had weren't working right for some reason, and I got these green ones. I got sick that day, at the same time of the accident.”

John sighed. “Yeah. Adam had a flat on his bike, so he fixed it before we took off, I was on the phone at the time.”

Tony chuckled. “That would explain the mess in the garage. It's still there.”

“What?!” Tali looked at Tony. “You mean to tell me you never cleaned that mess up?”

Ziva shook her head. “Never touched the garage since.”

“I was going to clean it up, but Dad said leave it. Never went in there since.” Ethan said.

Tony nodded. “I've been meaning to, but just never went in there.”

“Yeah, well.” John sighed. “We went out for our bike rides, and was having a good ride when some drunk drove by in this ratty yellow car and almost ran us off the road.”

“Wait, you've seen that guy before?” Tony sat up.

Ethan sat, transfixed. “I think I saw that yellow car somewhere. Feels like I saw it in a dream, though,” he muttered to himself.

Ziva heard it, however. “You said you had a dream?”

Ethan shrugged. “Dunno, just remember the image in my mind.”

John gulped audibly. “Yeah. I never heard Hebrew swearing until that day, when Adam cussed him out.”

Ethan laughed. “That's him. People wouldn't know the difference between him complimenting them or insulting them, he would keep such a straight face.”

Tony laughed. “Now I find this out about Adam?”

Ethan laughed and threw a throw pillow at Tony. “We kept our secrets from you, you know.”

Tony laughed and threw it back. “Gotta have your own fun moments.” He turned to Ziva. “That's something.”

Ziva laughed and batted his arm. “I knew something was up with them, but they have bested even the best of the Mossad,” she said jokingly.

AJ laughed. “I got to see a little bit of that in action one day, a long time ago before the... accident.”

“Do tell.” Tony sat up. He wanted to hear more about Adam, what he was like when he was still around.

AJ shook his head. “No way. Can't violate that twin bond.” He laughed.

Becky and Tali laughed.

“So anyway, after that, we pulled over for a bit to enjoy the scenery. We talked.” John sighed and took a breath before continuing. “He asked me what I would do with that guy if I was a cop.”

McGee raised an eyebrow. “And?”

John turned to McGee. “I told him I'd take the drunk off the road and throw him into the slammer. DUI? Major offense right there.”

Tony scoffed. “You can say that again. Get caught drinking and driving, bye bye driver's license.”

“Indeed.” John looked at Tony, then back at Ethan. “Anyway, after that crazy driver drove off and we pulled over, we talked about what I would do, like I said. Then we went for a little more riding.” John sighed, then took a deep breath.

Ziva looked at John. “And then?” She was reading his body language, sensing that he was coming up onto the pivotal event that changed everyone's lives.

John exhaled slowly. “We came upon this street that lead to this T-intersection, you know that area?” He got a nod. “I heard a car behind us, and by the time I looked, that yellow car was right on top of us. I got knocked off my bike at the same time I heard a loud thump behind me and saw Adam flying past me.”

Ethan let out a short, sharp gasp. “That's why I felt like I was flying, in my dream!”

Ziva turned sharply toward Ethan and held his hand. “Oh!”

Ethan spoke up. “There are times I have wondered, why did I survive that day? Why did I get sick, all of a sudden better the next day and Adam is...” Ethan paused to take a deep breath.

John looked at Ethan. “Ethan, none of this could have been predicted. Just one of those things.” John bit his lip, as he looked at Ethan. He took a deep breath while looking down, then sat up straight and looked at everyone, then at Becky as she took one of his hands and held it. “Alright, you wanted to know more about what happened?”

Ethan looked at John. “I need to know. Only bits and pieces I got from... what other people told me.” He couldn't explain what he had seen in his dream while he got sick, not yet.

John sighed. “When I hit the ground and came to a stop, I heard his body hit the ground.” He clapped his hands together. “I rushed over to Adam just when the car hit a tree and blew up. He... didn't look good.” John shook his head.

Tony sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face. “Did he... say anything?”

John shook his head. “Not much. Couldn't move too much on account of the pain. Adam was struggling to speak, coughing up blood.” He sighed and sat up straighter. “What he could say, he did in sign language.”

Ziva frowned slightly. “What'd he say?”

John turned toward Ziva. He held up an outstretched hand with the thumb touching the chin.  _ Mother _ , he signed. He then moved it to where his thumb touched his forehead in the  _ father _ sign.

Ziva gasped and a tear leaked out of her eye.

John continued. “He managed to say the names of everyone as well. Said take care of everyone.” He let out a deep sigh.

“Take your time, you got us, my son.” McGee spoke up gently. 

“Adam started to say things that did not make sense, and thats when I knew. I could... smell it. That was when I became woozy. I held on as long as I could, for him.” Tears started flowing from John's eyes. “He died in my arms,” he whispered.

Becky reached over and hugged John. “I'm here, babe.” She held him close in her embrace.

“Thanks.” His voice was thick with emotion. John returned the hug and wiped away his tears. He paused, then took a breath. “Last thing I remember was a nurse coming up to us. I was told later that I was found cradling Adam when I passed out.”

McGee sat back, absorbing this new piece of information. “This is the first time I'm hearing this. He's never said anything about the accident until now,” he said quietly to Tony. “Tried to talk to him about it, and he wouldn't, not until now.”

Tony nodded. “Figured he wanted to talk face to face with Ethan.” He turned back to the two.

Ethan was considering things, turning over the new information in his mind. “So that's where it all fits. The yellow car, the flying.” He turned to Ziva. “The moment I fell asleep in the car, I started getting sick. I dreamed that I saw a yellow car, then all of a sudden I was flying and tumbling through the air, causing my stomach to get all upset.”

Ziva gasped. “You scared me that day! You looked so peaceful, like you had died. I had to shake you, and then you had that seizure.” She sat up a little straighter. “Do you remember throwing up on Dad?”

Ethan shook his head. “No, not really, all I remember was seeing what Adam was seeing. That I was seeing John talking to me. I wondered why he was talking to me in my dream at the time.”

Ziva drew in a long gasp. “Ethan!”

Tony suddenly had an itch on the back of his head, and he involuntarily reached up and scratched it. “I could have sworn Adam spoke to me in that hospital that night.”

Ethan sighed. “Just telling you what I saw in my dream that day. I knew then that Adam had died.”

Goosebumps appeared on both Tony and Ziva's arms. “Wow,” Ziva whispered. “It all fits.”

John suddenly got up and paced around for a bit. He sighed. “Ever since that day, I've been doing a lot of thinking. About how I wanted to honor Adam.” He stopped at the deck rails and looked out over the ocean. After a moment, he returned to the circle of chairs and pulled out a folded sheet of paper and sat down.

Tony chuckled. “Anything you do would be good in my book.”

“Adam's always thought highly of you.” Ziva added.

John held up the folded sheet of papers. “Applied to be a cop.” He smiled and shook the papers. “I got into the police academy out in New York City.”

McGee raised an eyebrow. “Oh, wow! Congrats.” He had not known this; John had kept this a total secret even from his own father.

“Way to go, John!” Tony held out a high-five.

John gave everybody high-fives as everybody congratulated and cheered him on. “New York City, here I come!”

Becky spoke up. “We'll keep in touch, right?”

John smiled. “Oh, yeah. I'll be busy in training, but I'll make the time to write you every so often.”

McGee asked, “When do you leave for training?”

John held up his letter. “They said that they'll send me orders to report to training shortly. Just got this letter the other day.”

“So, when did you apply?” Tali asked.

“Sent the application in a few weeks back. You know how it is with such a large PD.” John shrugged. He put the paper back in his pocket.

Becky smiled. “More time for me to go to school, more time for you to better yourself.” She patted John on the arm.

It was AJ's turn to pull out a folded letter. “Got my letter of acceptance.” He broke out into a slow smile. “You'll never guess where I'm going,” he said in singsong voice.

Ziva turned to AJ and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Where?”

AJ just shook the letter and grinned even further. “Astrophysics. Cambridge.”

Becky scoffed. “What?! And leave me all alone here?” She turned to Tony and Ziva. “I'm gonna be here all alone!”

“I get the house to myself now?” Becky turned to Ethan, who'd spoken. “The whole house to myself?” Ethan waggled his eyebrows and smiled.

Tony and Ziva chuckled. Tony said “Not if Becky wants to stay at our house while she's going to school.”

Ziva nodded. “Save yourself a bit of money while you're going to school, Becky. You're welcome to stay if you want.”

Ethan looked slightly crestfallen, but only for a moment. “Still, you're not gonna be alone after all, Bec'.”

Tali laughed. “That's right. And you will always have family there for you.”

AJ stood up and walked over to the deck rails and looked out over the ocean. “I'm sure he's out there, looking over us.”

Channah sighed and nodded, then stood up and walked up next to AJ. “He is. I'm positive.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I can feel it.”

Tali pulled out a small piece of folded paper from her pocket and turned it over in her hands, thinking it over for a few moments, looking at the paper turning over in her hands. She sighed then opened the paper and started to read the first couple of sentences, then held the paper to her chest. “I wrote this not long after Adam died.” She cleared her throat, and then began reading.

“ _Dear Adam, I remember the last conversation you and I had. Random stuff, like school, friends, your bike, enjoying your adventures with Ethan. You told me what you always wanted to be in your future.”_ Tali paused and took a breath, then returned to the letter. _“You even told that you wanted to be an audiologist, to understand hearing loss better and to help people out.”_

Ziva said, “That would make sense that Adam would want that.” She smiled at Tali.

“One thing that struck me during that conversation, Ima, was how he was thankful for Ethan to be his twin brother. I found that interesting at the time, but didn't think much of it.” She returned to her letter. _“ Your last words seem to be eerie as I looked back. Did you know that your time might be up soon? We will never know, only our Maker, our Allah, our Lord knows. Adam, you would be greatly missed, I love you my baby brother, rest well.”_ She let the letter drop into her lap and smiled, with a tear streaking down her cheek.

Tony's voice was hoarse. “Yeah. Think I remember him mentioning something about wanting to understand deafness better and helping people out.'

“Thanks.” Ziva smiled at Tali. “For sharing your feelings.”

Tali quickly wiped away a tear. “Wanted to remember Adam in a good way.” She smiled.

Tony called out toward AJ. “Anthony, wanna say what's on your mind? Anything.” Tony smiled gently at AJ.

AJ turned and looked at Tony, then looked back at Channah, then stood up, with a smile on his face. “Alright, well, first of all, I wanted to thank Ima and Dad for allowing Channah to be there for me during those roughest times in the beginning.” He reached over and patted Channah's arm. “She's been my rock throughout the whole time.” He looked up at the sky. “Yes, Adam, she's my girlfriend. Sorry I was a bit of a jerk on that front to you.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow at AJ. “Really? You two looked good together.” She smiled at AJ and Channah.

AJ smiled abashedly. “Ever since Adam died, I've always wanted to tell him how proud I've been to be his brother. He loved helping me with some of the telescope setup, and I've always loved helping him with fixing his bike and stuff.”

Tony nodded. “I've got to clean that garage up.” That sudden itch was back.

Becky cleared her throat. “Uhm. Just wanted to say how I feel about it. I miss Adam so, so much. I remember he always loved my paintings, always said I could be an interior designer.” She sighed. “I'll keep that end of the bargain. I want to go in for inteior design classes.” She smiled.

Ziva looked at Becky and smiled. “A nice goal to have. Whatever you need, we're always there for you.”

“For every one of you kids,” Tony added, with a smile on his face.

Suddenly realizing it was his turn, Ethan stood up and said, “Just a minute, I'll be back.” He quickly walked into the house.

Tony looked at Ziva, slightly puzzled. “He okay? He seemed to be okay to me until now.”

Ziva shrugged. “I think he's fine. There he is,” she said, pointing to him, as he walked back in.

Ethan walked back to the circle of chairs, holding something in his hands. He held it up. “This is what I found when I was looking for something that day I was banging on that dresser trying to get that drawer opened.” He turned to Tony and Ziva. “Remember that day? I was so mad at the dresser because it wouldn't open. Just when I got the drawer opened, that card popped out. I never opened it until that day, after you left the room.”

Tony gulped. “Your birthday card from Adam...”

Ethan nodded. He put the card aside, he had read it before. He opened the letter, which he hadn't read fully until now. He sighed as he started reading.

“ _Ethan, I'm writing this to you on the night before our birthday. I could not sleep for some reason, so I got up and sat by the window, looking out at the moon. I look over, and I see you sleeping peacefully, and I listen and hear your quiet breathing. I listen to the quiet sounds of the night, where everyone is sleeping, and you hear the tick of the clock in the other room, the occasional chirp of a bird. The sounds put me at ease from this one dream that had kept waking me up for last few nights. I could not figure it out. I only see bits and pieces. It's like... fate? It seems so real, though, and that's got me to thinking. Could one see their future?”_ Ethan dropped the letter a bit. “This part had me thinking for a long time.” He sighed, then took a deep breath and went back to his letter. _“I'm not sure. The one thing that I worry about is what would happen if one of us was not around for the other anymore. I worry that one of us will not be able to be there for the other person anymore. Whatever happens, I want you to know that you've always meant a lot to me. I am super thankful to have you as my twin brother. Ethan, please remember this: if I'm no longer with you in this life, remember me and that I loved you first because you are my twin brother. I love you so much. Keep my spirit going forward with yours always. Please be strong for them, and give them some patience. Do your best to help Ima and Dad, and the others understand the world that I was in with you, allow them love and support you. Always remember, at lo devad.”_ Ethan folded the letter up and sighed. “I never fully read this letter. I couldn't read more than the first two lines because it was so hard then.” He sat in his chair.

Ziva reached over and rubbed his back. “That was a beautiful letter he wrote to you.” She reached out and grasped Ethan's hand that was holding the letter. “Cherish it, for the rest of your life.” She grasped it more firmly.

“Wow, the little man knew?” Tony's whisper was harsh.

“Knew without knowing,” Ziva answered Tony in an undertone.

McGee was amazed. “Wow. He was, er...” He couldn't find words to adequately describe his character. “One of a kind, even though he was a twin to Ethan.”

Ethan stood up and walked out of the deck toward the beach and took a few steps and stopped to look up at the sky. “Wish you were here, Adam,” he whispered under his breath.

AJ got up, followed by Channah. “Let's go over to the telescope,” AJ said quietly.

Tony started to get up, but Ziva grabbed him. “Let him be for a moment.” She looked up at Tony. “Give him a little time.” She had sensed something in Ethan in the way he walked out there.

John and Becky both got up and walked over to AJ and Channah and watched as AJ took off the dust covers and set it up to view a different part of the sky.

“Hunting for extraterrestrial life still?” John chuckled lightly.

AJ laughed. “Not quite, not with this. Always loved looking at nebulae.” AJ turned to the astronomy guide, its pages turned to the on the Crab nebula.

John nodded. “So what do you use to hunt for ET?”

AJ shrugged. “Bigger telescopes. Radio telescopes, satellites. We try listening and looking in as many wavelengths as possible. IR, UV, x-ray, you name it.”

Ethan turned to the group and walked over. “Adam loved helping out with the telescope.”

“And now it's your duty to carry on the task,” AJ joshed with Ethan. He reached out and patted Ethan on the shoulder and held out a hand to the accessories case. “Filters, eyepieces, all that.”

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and smiled. “They look happy now,” she said. “One more thing. Tali, mind coming with me to help?” She beckoned Tali.

Tali got up. “Sure, Ima, I'll help.”

Ziva and Tali walked into the house, and moments later they emerged carrying a birthday cake and plates and forks for the birthday cake. Ziva called out, “Everybody ready for the birthday cake?”

Tali smiled as she lit the candles while everybody came over to the table on the deck. “Okay, here we go!”

“Ready, Ethan? Make a wish and blow out the candles.” Ziva smiled at Ethan.

Ethan smiled and looked around at everyone, then looked up at the sky, making a wish. Then he took a deep breath and blew out the candles. Just then, another large shooting star streaked directly overhead heading out over the ocean.

“Oh!” Ziva gasped, followed by a chorus of “oohh's” and “whoa's”.

Suddenly, everyone felt at peace, as if Adam was telling them through the shooting star that everything was going to be okay.

“Tony, do you feel that peace?” Ziva sighed as she looked up at the sky at the sudden appearance of more shooting stars. 

“Oh yeah, I feel it, too.” He reached out and hugged Ziva by his side and brought her close to him. “This is perfect. The night out with our family. Us going through this together.” Tony tilted his head toward Ziva, smiles gently, kissing Ziva on her lips.

“Mm-hmm.” Ziva chuckled under her breath, then looked back out at the others.

McGee walked up to John's side. “Beautiful night out there.” He tilted his head up to the sky. “You ever wonder about life out there?”

John slowly nodded his head. “After what we talked about? What, this?” He held his hand out to the skies. “Maybe, if you looked hard enough. I guess we'll have AJ to try to answer that for us. I'm not science enough.”

McGee chuckled. “You're cop enough, that's good enough for me.” He smiled at John and clapped him on the shoulder.

John nodded. “Thanks. For being there for me.” He turned to AJ, who was focusing the telescope onto the Crab Nebula. The image popped up on the laptop screen as he brought the telescope into focus. “You think there may be life in there?” He pointed toward the screen.

McGee shrugged. “Would be interesting if there were three-eyed women on that planet.”

John turned to McGee with an incredulous look on his face, then let out a loud laugh. “I'd expect Tony to say that, not you.”

Tony laughed. “He's learned from the master, hasn't he?” He walked up to McGee and clapped him on the shoulder.

AJ stepped back to enjoy the tapestry on the display. “All those colors in the nebula, that's stuff left over from the exploding star,” he spoke quietly. He turned to the others. “Yeah, there's life out there – the building blocks, at least.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. “What's that saying I've heard about? That we're 'made from stars'?”

AJ nodded. “All the chemical elements in our bodies, in the planets, everywhere, came from stars.” He held out a hand toward the display. “That's just repeating the cycle.”

Ziva pondered this. “The cycle of life. As it applies to plants, animals, and humans, so does it apply to things in space.”

Becky exclaimed. “Look! Up there.” She pointed to a point in the sky just past the Orion constellation. A star had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

AJ took notice. “Oh, lemme swing the scope over!” He steered the telescope over to it, and the image of a supernova appeared on the screen. “Whoa, a star just blew up!” He hurriedly took pictures on the display.

Channah quickly stepped over to AJ's side. “Betelgeuse?”

AJ shook his head. “No, a different star, farther away than Betelgeuse.” He tried to compare to his star maps which star just blew up, but could find nothing. “Must be really far away,” he muttered to himself.

“You sending pictures to the other astronomers?” Channah asked.

“Cambridge's gotta know about this.” AJ attached photos and sent them off to the head of the astrophysics department at Cambridge University.

Tali looked up at the shooting stars and the newly-appeared star. “Wow, the skies sure are beautiful tonight. All this... activity... happening out there.” She sighed.

Ziva nodded absentmindedly as she looked up at the wild night sky. “It's like Adam's telling us to be at peace.” She turned to Tony. “I'm going inside. Want to come with me?”

Tony got up out of his chair and stretched. “Yeah, it's getting a bit chilly out here.” He glanced at the others, then back at Ziva. He lowered his voice, “Let's let the kids be. They're having a good time.” He wrapped his arm around Ziva's shoulders and turned toward the house. “Wanna come too, McGeek?”

McGee slowly got up out of his chair and started walking toward the house. “Yeah, sure. Getting a bit cold out here.”

The trio walked into the house.

After a moment, Tali said, “What do you think of the night, Ima?” She turned at the same time she said the last word, then noticed that they were not there. “Oh, they went in.” She shrugged, then turned back to the group.

Back in the house, Ziva, Tony, and McGee went into the living room and sat in their recliners.

“Ahhh.” Tony sighed as he sank into his recliner, letting the chair mold itself to his body. “What a day, huh?”

McGee let out a short chuckle. “Yeah. I'd say it was a much-needed day for everyone.”

Tony let out a long sigh. “I gotta tell you something, though. It's like Adam's instilled a piece of him into everyone out there. I can see bits and pieces of him in AJ, Becky, Tali, and even Ethan.”

“How so?” Ziva looked at Tony. She had noticed things also, but in different ways. “I've noticed things also, so I'm curious if I'm seeing the same things you are.”

Tony sat up a little. “Well, you noticed how John's gonna become a cop, after that conversation he had with Adam. And Becky continuing on with her dream?

Ziva nodded. “Carry Adam's legacy on, sure.” She smiled. “I think that's what Adam would want us to do. Be happy, carry his legacy on.”

McGee raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. That sounds about right.” He nodded his head. “I can see that.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Never thought about that. I guess we are carrying on his legacy without realizing it.” He looked out the window and whispered to himself. “Thanks, Adam.”

Just then, a shooting star streaked across the window, this time smaller.

“Did you see that?” Tony said out of reflex.

“Yes!” Ziva exclaimed. “it happened on this side of the house, I'm sure the others didn't see it.”

Tony nodded. “I said thanks to Adam and got an answer,” Tony whispered. He was struck by the timing of the shooting star, how it had appeared the moment he thanked Adam for everything. It was if Adam had heard him again.

“I think he heard us,” Ziva said, reaching out and holding Tony's hand. She smiled at Tony when he turned to look at her. “He's with us. In here.” She tapped her chest. “He'll always be with us.”

McGee nodded. “Never a day goes by without me thinking about him. He will be missed, for sure. But celebrated also.” He got up. “Well, I think I'll get some rack time. My back, you know.”

Tony looked up at McGee and smiled. “Alright, good night. Hopefully we don't find a McBroken Back in the morning.” He chuckled at McGee.

McGee laughed. “Yeah, you could un-pretzel me in the morning if I need it.”

Ziva shook her head and laughed at them. “There will be no pretzel-ing or breaking backs happening in my house.”

“'Night.” McGee laughed at Ziva, then turned and went off to his guest room.

Tony sighed. “Wow, what a night.” He stretched out in his chair.

Ziva took the opportunity to get out of her chair and then carefully drape herself over Tony's body on the chair. “Ahhh. Just you and me now.”

Tony chuckled. “Well, maybe for a few minutes.” He pulled Ziva closer to him. It felt as if a weight had suddenly been lifted off his chest and shoulders. “Feels better all of a sudden now. Maybe it was the talking we did.”

Ziva nodded and touched a finger on Tony's nose. “And the kids being over to spend time with Ethan. You know he needed it.” She smiled at Tony.

“Yeah – you can tell the change in Ethan when he saw everybody.” Tony smiled back at her.

Just then, they heard the sound of the back door opening. Moments later, Tali walked into the living room. “Oh, there you are. Just came in to check on the babies.” She waved at them.

“Okay. Thought I heard them just a moment ago.” Ziva smiled at Tali.

Tali smiled and walked away to tend to the babies.

Ziva turned back to Tony. “Now, where were we?” She leaned closer to him and said, “Maybe this is where we left off.” She kissed him full on the lips.

Tony returned the kiss and hugged her. He drew her in to his embrace, fully enjoying the feel and scent of her warm body against his. He then released the kiss on Ziva. “Mm, maybe that's where.”

Ziva chuckled, then snuggled up against Tony. “You know, this is the first time in a long time where I've felt this kind of peace again. This quietness that I get every time I'm with you.”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, it's been rough for a while.” He turned toward her and smiled. “Glad we're past that, now.” He pecked her on the lips.

Ziva smiled. “I'm glad this day happened. For everyone. We can move forward now. Together.”

Tony nodded and smiled. “Moving forward, together. I like that.” He hugged Ziva, as she rested her head on his chest. He let out a long sigh. “Love you, my sweetcheeks.”

Ziva tilted her head up at Tony and smiled. “Love you, too, babe.” She snuggled up closer to Tony and let out a sigh and closed her eyes as she relaxed on Tony's side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos, Messages and Tweets :)


	12. A New Tomorrow

Chapter 12

~~Christmas Eve 2039 at Rose Hill Home~~

Early on Christmas Eve morning, Tony stirred awake on the bed and looked at Ziva. As he gazed into her face, taking in the peaceful look on her face as she was sound asleep, he smiled. A thought percolated through his mind: _'Mistletoe' ._ He carefully turned over in bed, taking a moment before he slowly got up out of bed, allowing Ziva to rest. Satisfied that he hadn't woke Ziva up, he silently crossed the room and got his sweatpants on. He made his way to the bathroom, picking up his shirt and slipping it on, then he went through his morning routine. He turned the sink on barely above a trickle, filled his cupped palms and splashed some water on his face a couple of times before shutting off the faucet and reaching out for a hand towel to wipe the water off. He sighed and smiled at himself in the mirror, then had a flash of inspiration. Picking up a red dry-erase marker, he drew out a shape and wrote out a word. It read, “ _My Ziva, I love you now, Always, and Forever. -Tony”_ Satisfied, he tossed the marker onto the counter in front of the mirror and made his way out of the bedroom and walked past Ethan's room. He took a couple of steps past, then stopped himself for a second, a thought popping up in his head. He reversed a couple steps back and looked into Ethan's room, where he saw Ethan just starting to stir. He quietly walked into the room and stood by Ethan's bed for a couple of moments, before reaching out and gently shaking Ethan by the shoulder. “Ethan?” Tony changed from the gentle shaking to a gentle tapping on his shoulder.

Ethan stirred awake, then stretched himself out. When finished, he sat up and looked at Tony, and a gentle smile formed on his lips. “Hey, Dad.”

Tony put a finger on his lips. “Shh. Come with me, don't wake anybody up.” He beckoned Ethan, then signed the last few words along with his speaking.

Ethan smiled, threw off his covers quietly, then put his sound processors on and followed Tony.

Moments later, Tony walked toward the kitchen cabinets opened one of the drawers, rooted around for a bit before grabbing a small box of tacks out of the drawer. “Here it is.” He shook the box once, then turned to Ethan with a smile on his face.

Ethan looked at the box of tacks, then looked up at Tony. His eyebrows shot up and he smiled. “Ah that's right. Those mistletoes.”

Tony smiled and nodded once. “Yes, this year's your turn.” He held out the box of tacks and patted a box that was on the kitchen table. “Go ahead and put them up on those doorways. Same places as always, right?” Tony looked at Ethan.

Ethan scratched his head and looked around at the different doorways and smiled. “Ah, yes. Those traditions we did for those years.” Ethan smiled at Tony as he raised his eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, that's right. You do remember the meaning of this?” Tony raised his eyebrows, holding up a mistletoe bundle and looking at Ethan.

Ethan chuckled and thought back in time for a moment. “Yep, anyone that steps under this mistletoe gets a hug or a kiss. Usually a kiss, though.” Ethan scratched his chin gently, a slow, mischievous smile forming on his lips.

Tony nodded and chuckled, noting Ethan's smile. “Yup. No weird places like the closet, now, okay?”

Ethan chuckled as he nodded his head. “I'll put these 7 lucky mistletoe's up, alright.”

Ziva walked up behind Ethan and reached her arms around Ethan. “Good morning, Ethan.” She smiled as Ethan turned to face her.

“Oh, Ima!” Ethan smiled and returned the hug. “Didn't expect you to come up from behind me.”

Ziva laughed. “You, Dad, just the same!” She signed to Ethan. “You two startle so easily when I come up from behind,” she said.

Ethan shook head as he giggled. “Alright, you got me.” He reached for the mistletoe bundles. “I'll go and hang these, now.” He turned to hang the mistletoes over the doorways in their usual spots that they resided every Christmas.

Ziva turned around toward Tony, chuckling and shaking her head. “The kids always had fun with those growing up.” She made her face pucker up like a fish and put her hands on either side of her face, flapping them from side to side, like the side fins of a fish. “Them giving each other a hard time with the mistletoe.”

Tony chuckled, “Oh those 'fish kisses' in the air were priceless when they did that.” Tony cocked his head to the side as his face changed to that of curiosity. “I wonder if the kids would pass that down to the youngins?”

Ziva chuckled as she shook her head slightly. “Oh, yeah. They might. We shall see.”

Just then, they both heard a shriek followed by laughter. “Sounds like someone got it good,” Tony chuckled as he cocked his head toward the doorway.

Ziva let out a short chuckle. Before Ziva could say something, Tali walked in toward Ziva and Tony and planted her hands in her hips and smiled. “Did you know what Ethan just did?” She turned as Ben walked in behind her.

Ziva tilted her head toward Tali, an eyebrow shooting up. “No.” She held up a finger and quickly added, “Yes, I heard a shriek, then laughter. But, no, I do not know what he did.”

Tali scoffed and shook her head. “Well, when I came out of the bathroom, Ethan was just standing there when I opened the door, and he was doing this.” She mimiced a fish with the puckered lips and flapping hands. “Don't worry, I got him good though, for scaring me like that.” Tali chuckled at how her little brother still had his sense of humor.

Ziva looked at Tali, a smile flashing on her mouth. “Showing a bit of Adam in him, too. Good to see him happy.” Ziva chuckled.

Tony nodded with a smile. “Oh yeah. I've learned to live with the double personality aspect of things.” A sudden itch cropped up on the back of his head, and he reached up to scratch it.

Tali raised an eyebrow, then turned and walked toward the island bar, turning to Ziva. “Ima, before I forget. I heard from Becky. She said she's on her way over. John's with her, and I think they might pick McGee up on the way over.”

“Great to hear that. she wouldn't want to miss those challah french toast for anything, right?” Tony chuckled.

Tali nodded with a giggle. “I told her we are having it for breakfast.” She held up a finger. “She was like, I'm coming over right now!”

Ziva chuckled and tilted her head toward Tali. “Yes, I shall start making those soon.” She paused and sighed. “I wish your Savta could be here, but with the cold weather and all that, she couldn't come.” Ziva flashed a smile and held up a finger. “But, she won't be alone. Your Aunt Jessica and her kids will be with her for the holidays. Makes me happy to know she's not alone, you know.”

Tali smiled. “Yeah, that's good. Would you like my help with the challah?”

Ziva smiled and nodded. “Sure, why not?”

After the rest of the family had arrived and had their traditional Christmas dinner and watched their traditional Christmas movie 'It's a Wonderful Life', they gathered around the Christmas tree for the opening of presents.

As Tony slowly sat down in his glider, he sighed as he made contact and leaned back in his recliner and looked around the room at all of the family members. “Ready for your presents?” he called out.

A chorus of “Yes!”'s rose up from the family members.

“Alright, guess who's turn it is to be Santa this year!” Tony smiled and pointed toward Ethan.

Ethan's eyebrows rose in excitement. “I got a couple of assistants here.” He pulled Sarah and Brett, who were sitting close to him and watching the whole thing, closer to him. “Allow me to introduce Elflets Sarah and Brett.”

McGee laughed. “There you go!”

Tony scoffed in mock offense. “McGee! You taught Ethan that.” He wagged a finger at McGee.

“What could I say?” McGee held out his arms, hands in air.

Ziva laughed and shook her head at Tony and McGee. “Boys.” She turned back to Ethan.

Tony laughed, then turned back to Ethan. “Go ahead, pass 'em out, Santa.”

Ethan smiled and nodded. He coached the young kids on where to take the gifts as they were being handed out, saving the largest and heaviest for last. When he got to those, he turned to the kids. “These are big, you want me to help you push 'em over?”

“Yeah!” Sarah piped up as Ethan dragged a larger gift over toward him. She braced herself at the back of the package.

“Ready? Push!” Ethan pushed the package, letting Sarah push the package with his “help”. “This one goes to your Aunt Becky.”

“Oh, for me?” Becky clasped her hands under her chin and smiled, before reaching out to receive the gift.

Ethan turned to another, larger, gift. “Oh, wow, this one's ginormous.”

“Maybe you need a super-elf?” AJ stood up. “I'll help with that one.”

Ethan turned to AJ and smiled. “Oh, sure, but it's to you.”

“Oh, cool, that makes it even easier.” AJ chuckled, as Ethan helped move the gift over to where AJ was sitting.

Satisfied that all the gifts had been distributed out, Tony glanced over at the tree, which was now barren underneath and behind the tree. “Everybody got their gifts? Start opening 'em! Let's start with the youngins.” He pointed to Sarah and Brett.

After everyone had taken their turns opening their gifts and ooh'ing and ahh'ing over what everyone had gotten for Christmas, Tony said, “Okay, AJ, you wanna get a trash bag for all this wrapping paper?”

AJ smiled and stood up. “Sure, I'll go get it.” He left, then came back moments later with a couple of trash bags in his hands – and got beaned in the head by a wad of wrapping paper thrown by Ethan.

“Whut?!” AJ dropped the trash bags as a smile lit up his face. He picked up a large wad of wrapping paper and flung it at Ethan.

“Hey now, that wasn't me!” Ethan laughed. “It was the Christmas fairy!”

AJ grabbed another piece of wrapping paper, which wasn't wadded up as much, and tossed it at Ethan, letting it float through the air. It landed onto Becky, however, who flung it up into the air. “Take that!” Becky laughed.

Tony, Ziva, and McGee watched as everyone got sucked into the wrapping paper 'fight' and the air was filled with wrapping paper flying, wadded or not.

In the midst of the wrapping paper fight, Tali grabbed her kids. “Hey, go throw this on Papaw and Savta!” She put a couple pieces of not-wadded wrapping paper into each of their hands and guided them toward Tony and Ziva.

“They're coming!” Ziva quickly whispered to Tony. She looked up and pretended to not see the kids waddling up to them with the wrapping paper.

“Oh, you got us!” Tony laughed as the young kids reached them and tossed the wrapping paper onto them. He took the wrapping paper and tossed it at Ziva with just enough force to make it float lazily through the air and land on her head.

Ziva laughed and batted the paper away and then tossed it in the same manner toward Tony, and laughed at how it landed on Tony's head, standing up vertically for a moment before slowly collapsing in on itself.

Everybody turned at looked at Tony and Ziva and laughed at how the wrapping paper seemed to take an eternity in deciding to fall over on Tony's head.

“Alright now, you got me.” Tony laughed and grabbed at the wrapping paper and tossed it back toward AJ. “Go ahead start cleaning up.”

“No!” AJ laughed and tossed the wrapping paper back at Tony.

Ethan grabbed the trash bag that he was filling with the wrapping paper, walked over with a smile on his face, and everyone else got up and followed suit with the other trash bag, and dumped the contents onto Tony and Ziva, causing them to shriek and laugh as a deluge of wrapping paper flowed over them.

The entire family eventually cleaned up their mess, however, still chuckling at each other and making little conversation. The adults helped the little ones with their cleaning up before they got ready for the night.

“That was a good one, huh?” Tony smiled.

Ziva chuckled. “Yeah, that was a lot of fun. Snowing wrapping papers wasn't part of our weather forecast, was it?”

Tony looked up and chuckled as he stuffed a large piece of wrapping paper into the garbage bag. “We can blame the weatherman for that one. Apparently his ability to predict weather inside buildings fall short.”

AJ laughed. “Got all the wrapping paper? Good, I'll take these out.”

Ethan grabbed another garbage bag. “I'll help.” Together, AJ and Ethan took out the overflowing garbage bags to the garbage.

Eventually when everyone had gone to bed, Ziva and Tony walked around the now-quiet house, making sure everything was in their places, all the lights turned off, doors locked, before heading upstairs. Satisfied, they trudged up the stairs to their bedroom. Tony paused just outside the bedroom door, bringing Ziva up to a stop. He looked up at the mistletoe that Ethan had previously placed and smiled. Ethan must have put it there to make it extra-special for him and Ziva. “Oh, look. Mistletoe.”

Ziva chuckled. “Well, you know what happens, right?”

Tony chuckled and as he stepped into the doorway, brought Ziva closer to him and looked deep into her eyes, smiling the whole time. “How's this for a start?”

Her eyes smiled back at him and they told him everything he needed to hear. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders and hugged him and planted a kiss on Tony's lips.

Tony's eyes twinkled with happiness as he put his hand on Ziva's cheek and gently stroked it, before planting a full on kiss on Ziva's lips under the mistletoe. Once they came up for air after their kissing, Ziva smiled at Tony, stroking his cheek, feeling the scruffiness of his stubble. “Tony, I love you now, always, and forever. _”_ Ziva smiled as she hugged Tony.

Tony laughed, realizing Ziva had seen the message he had written on the mirror previously. Tony smiled back. “Love you, too, my sweetcheeks. Now, always, and forever.” He led her into the bedroom and closed the door, to continue their lovemaking.

~~UK Trip, December 2040~~

After a quick flight from home, Tony and Ziva arrived in London and made their way to the Hotel Waldorf Hilton, and checked their baggage into their hotel room. As soon they got settled in, Ziva and Tony changed to their evening clothes. As Ziva was freshening up from the flight in the bathroom, the phone rang. Tony walked over and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Room service calling. The carriage is on its way momentarily.” The person on the other end spoke.

“Oh, good. Was just about to call you to make sure the carriage was still on.” Tony smiled. He looked up as the door to the bathroom opened. “Oop, I gotta go. Thanks for letting me know.” He hung up and walked toward the middle of the room.

“Who was that?” Ziva asked as she adjusted one of her earrings.

Tony held a hand out in the air. “Oh, that was room service. Welcoming us, letting us know if we need anything, don't hesitate to call.”

Ziva raised an eyebrow. Room service usually doesn't do that. “They said that?”

Tony chuckled. “Oh, you know. Seems they wanted to upgrade their customer service relations.”

“Sure.” Ziva smirked as she walked across to the room toward the hotel windows.

Tony walked toward Ziva, intercepting her path and reaching his arm around Ziva. “Ziva. What do you say we go sight-see?”

“But we just got here,” Ziva looked at Tony, a slight look of surprise/curiosity on her face.

Tony smiled. “I know, just thought we'd catch the sunset, maybe, while we sight-see?”

Ziva smiled. “Really? I don't see why not.” She turned toward the door.

“Here, let me.” Tony grabbed a shawl and draped it over Ziva's shoulders. He held out a scarf for Ziva.

“Thanks.” Ziva took the scarf and wrapped it around herself, then took Tony's hand. “Let's go.” A smile flashed across her lips.

Tony and Ziva left their room and went down the elevator. As they stepped off the elevator, Tony's eyes caught sight of a couple of people he was expecting to see, as part of a surprise he had planned for Ziva. He stopped and turned to face Ziva. He smiled as he pulled something out of his jacket pocket. “Will you trust me on this?”

Ziva gasped as she noticed the cloth. “Oh, no, Tony. Are you going to blindfold me?” Ziva felt her anxiety creeping up inside her. She had always hated being blindfolded, even to this day, since it brought up memories of the bad things that had happened a lifetime ago.

Tony saw Ziva's face go pale, and he shushed her, comforting her. “Hey, Ziva, shush, it is alright. You've got strong Tony with you now. Just a short distance.” Tony smiled gently, stroking Ziva's cheek.

“Alright, I'll allow you to do this, since it's only a short distance, and I've got your arm to hold onto.” Ziva nodded and smiled.

“That's the spirit.” Tony smiled as he gently turned Ziva around, and placed the blindfold on her eyes. “Can't see anything underneath?”

Ziva shook her head. “Nope.” She took in a deep breath, grounding herself to Tony's touch, relaxing, knowing that no harm was to come.

“Okay, here we go,” Tony said as he turned Ziva back in the right direction and guided her toward the lobby doors, then stepped through them as they automatically opened.

“Ooh, chilly outside!” A brisk wind suddenly picked up momentarily before dying down. Ziva reached up automatically to hold her scarf in place.

Tony glanced at Ziva briefly and chuckled. “Yeah. Didn't expect that. Should get better soon though, honey.”

Ziva smiled as her ears registered the sound of hooves clopping through the drive-up entranceway.

“Ah, here we are.” Tony said as the horse-drawn carriage came abreast of them. Tony walked Ziva toward to the stage carriage, and stopped short of the carriage. He turned around to Ziva and slipped the blindfold off Ziva's eyes. “Part of the surprise for you.” He held out his hand, welcoming her to climb into the carriage.

Ziva gasped, a happy tear leaking out of one eye as she smiled at Tony. “Tony! This is so sweet!” She held Tony's hand as she climbed up into the carriage, taking her seat.

Tony followed behind, taking his seat. As he did so, the carriage driver held out a large lap blanket. “Something to keep you two warm?”

“Why, thank you, sir.” Tony smiled and took the blanket from the driver and draped it over his and Ziva's laps. “Ready to go for a ride, hon?” He smiled at Ziva.

Ziva smiled and nodded. “Let's ride and have a good time.” She leaned onto Tony, relaxing in his warm embrace.

The carriage driver clicked at the horses, and they let out a short whinny as they started walking. Tony and Ziva rode wordlessly in the carriage, enjoying the London sights, the quiet ambiance of the city surrounding them, the sound of the hooves clacking against the pavement. Eventually, seemingly at the exact moment the sun set, they crossed over the London Tower Bridge.

Later in the evening, after they had gotten back from the carriage ride, Tony turned to Ziva in their hotel room. “Nice little carriage ride, wasn't it?”

Ziva chuckled lightly. “The way we crossed that bridge right at the same time the sun set? Oh, god, so beautiful.”

A smile formed on Tony's lips. “Because I tried to plan it that way. For you, sweetcheeks.”

Ziva smiled and smooched Tony. “Why don't you get dinner while I use the ladies' room?” She batted her eyes at Tony.

Tony chuckled. “Why, I'll certainly do that.” He waggled his eyebrows at Ziva as she smirked at him and turned to walk toward the bathroom. He walked over to the phone and called room service to have dinner brought up.

As soon as the dinner tray arrived, Tony quickly made sure that Ziva was still busy. Satisfied, he quickly wheeled the dinner cart over to the middle of the room and set up two candles and lit them, then waited for Ziva to come out.

Moments later, Ziva came out, to see Tony leaning his hands on a chair, obviously intending for her to sit in that chair. “Your seat, my love.”

Ziva gasped. “Oh, why thank you.” She sat down, and scooted up as Tony gently pushed the chair in to the table.

Tony nodded as he sat down. “Do you remember that night, our first date?” Tony raised his eyebrow, smiling as he reached out and prepared to lift the cover off of the dinner tray.

Ziva perked up, looking at Tony as she sat down, “Oh yes. While we were following each other doing our missions, all we had were pizza.” She smiled at the thought.

“Yup.” He removed the cover, revealing two personal pan pizzas and a salad. “I'd say we definitely upgraded from the mission pizzas.”

Ziva laughed at the little note that stood on the plate behind their pizzas. It read, 'No Rule 12”. She looked up at Tony. “No regrets.”

“Yep, that's right, no regrets. What a life we had back then.” Tony chuckled. “I think I liked the family life better.”

Ziva laughed and smooched Tony across the table. “No regrets, I would do it all over again.”

Tony smiled. “Same here.” He patted her hand and then grasped it warmly. “Same here, honey.”

After they finished their dinner, Tony walked over to the stereo system and put some music on.

The first few strains of song sounded over the speaker, and Ziva's eyes slowly widened. “That song that we had playing in Berlin?”

“Ah, you remembered.” Tony smiled as he walked over to Ziva and embraced her and started moving around slowly in a dance.

Ziva followed the dance motions as the song played. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled, listening to the tune. “Seems so long ago that I've heard this the last time.”

Tony's voice reached her ears. “Yeah, been a while. Now, no rule 12, no greasy pizza, no nosy Gibbs.” He moved with the song, jerking ever so slightly as he felt Gibbs slap the back of his head, purely in memory. He winced ever so slightly.

“You okay?” Ziva whispered.

Tony reached up and rubbed the back of his head. “I don't miss those either.” A blank look on Ziva's face prompted him to add, “Those head slaps, I mean.”

Ziva chuckled as they danced through the song.

“Happy anniversary, my sweetcheeks.” Tony smiled as he looked into her eyes.

Ziva gasped. “That's right, twenty years we've been married. I totally forgot, how time flies!” She reached out to hug Tony.

Tony laughed. “Yeah. It only seems like yesterday you just showed up in my life again. Here we are, twenty years later and a big family, what more could we ask for?” He hugged Ziva and kissed her on the lips.

Ziva smiled as she kept looking at Tony's eyes. “This is so beauitful, all of it. Every moment of my life with you has been the best moment for me. This is one of the best gifts I could ever ask for.” She smiled and gently stroked Tony's cheek. “Happy anniversary, Tony. I love you, now, always, and forever.”

Tony smiled as he held her close to him, “Every time I lay my eyes on you, hold you, touch you, I feel... alive. You still rock my world to this day. I cherish you every minute in my life. I couldn't ask for a better wife, a better mother, a better best friend than you. Even with everything we've been through, we've always been there for each other.” Tony smiled at Ziva.

Ziva's eyes smiled along with her lips. “And you have been the best partner to be with. My rock through all the hardness I've been through.” She smooched him on his lips.

“Oh yeah.” Tony planted a full on kiss on Ziva's lips, as he held her in a tight embrace.

Ziva moaned gently at his touch, and she kissed him back full on, then they came up for air as they walked to the bedroom to continue their lovemaking to each other through the night.

~~Rose Hill Home Around June 2041~~

After the family had their fill of their cookout dinner, they settled in around the large round deck table. Ethan slid himself in the chair next to AJ, who sat next to Channah. Tony took up his spot on the other side of Ethan as Becky, John, McGee, Tali, Ben, their children, and Rivka, filled out the rest of the seats around the table except for the one next to Tony.

“Where's Ziva?” Tony glanced around, then looked at the house. “Oh, in the house, she's coming out now.” He had seen her approaching the doorway carrying something. He quickly got up and hurried over to the door and opened it before Ziva got there. He turned and called out, “Here comes the cake!”

“Here we go!” Ziva carried the cake over to the table and set it down in front of Ethan, giving him a hug from behind. “Happy birthday, young man,” Ziva said, smiling.

Ethan turned and smiled. “Thanks, Ima.” He returned the hug.

Ziva stood up and looked at Ethan, pointing to the cake. “You like?”

“Oh Ima, it's perfect! Your cakes always taste so much better than those you get at the store. Thank you Ima.” Ethan placed his arms on the table on either side of the cake, and looked down at the cake, smiling.

“Happy birthday!” Everyone wished Ethan happy birthday. “Blow out the candles!” One of the younger kids said.

“Make a wish!” Ziva said, stopping Ethan before he drew in a deep breath.

Ethan nodded. “Okay, here we go.” He paused for a second to think of his innermost desires to record the world as he saw it unfold before his eyes, to have something tangible to look at for posterity. He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, then with one swift blow, blew out all of the candles... then stood aghast as his candles re-lit themselves.

Tony guffawed. “Oh! Prank candles! Whose idea was that?”

“what?!” Ethan blew out the candles, this time harder. They relit themselves again.

Everybody burst out laughing.

Ziva slowly looked at Tali, AJ, and Becky, who were giggling and laughing. “What did you do to the candles now?”

Tali broke down in a peal of laughter. “We switched 'em out before you got the cake ready.”

Tony guffawed. “So that's why you kept going into the house. I should have known you were taking too many _'bathroom trips_ ' to the house,” Tony said, putting air quotes around the words bathroom trip.

Tali giggled. “There you go. Just a little friendly fun.” She turned to watch Ethan, who had resorted to finally just taking the candles out one by one and dunking them into a small glass of water to finally stop them relighting.

Ziva chuckled. “Certainly didn't expect that. This'll be one birthday he will not forget, I can see that already.” She batted Tali on the arm. Suddenly, she had a thought. “Oh! Before I forget.” Ziva got up from her chair and went into the house, returning a moment later with a very large box. She set it in front of Ethan. “Here's your gift, Ethan. Go ahead and open it.”

Ethan chuckled. “I was beginning to wonder about the presents.” He tore open the wrapping paper, then opened the outer box, and gasped at the contents. “Whooaaaaa....” He looked closer at the contents.

Everybody leaned forward, anticipating what Ethan would be pulling out of the box next.

“Wow, a Nikon, very nice!” Ethan muttered as he pulled out the camera body, then one of the lenses from the package. He took the rest of the contents out of the large package, and within a blink of an eye all the contents were arrayed out in front of him: a couple of camera bodies, several different lenses, a couple of flashes and lights, and a tripod.

“Wow, what a nice setup, Ethan!” Tali gushed over all the bits and pieces of the photographic equipment. “You're set for a long time, now.” She patted him on the shoulder.

“Wow, thank you, Ima and Dad, thank you very much!” Ethan's face was radiant in happiness as he pored through all the nooks and crannies of the new camera bag.

Tony chuckled. “Now you've definitely upgraded. Going from the little Minolta camera you got for Christmas years ago to this.” He held out a hand toward the new equipment.

“Oh, definitely, he sure wore that camera out.” Tali nodded in agreement. “How'd you know he needed it?”

Ziva smiled. “Just very observant. Noticed that he wasn't using the camera for a few weeks. He also mentioned that his pictures weren't coming out right.” She shook her head. “I could see it, too. Sensor failure of some sort, all the images were sheared.” She stopped and looked at Tali a little closer. She seemed to be glowing with happiness. She turned toward Tali. “Tali! You're... glowing!”

Tali turned toward Ziva, a huge smile spreading across her face, lighting up the table. “Yes, there's some good news for us to share with all of you.” Tali paused to glance at Ben, who was smiling. She turned back toward Ziva. “We could not wait any longer. Just wanted to break the news while everyone is here.” Tali tilted her head, her eyes radiant.

“Oh my, Tali! You and Ben are having a baby?” Ziva gasped in excitement as she clapped her hands together.

Tali shook her head. “Not one baby.”

Ziva's eyes and mouth opened wider. “Twins?!”

Tali took in the priceless look on Ziva's face and smiled even wider. “Oh yeah, we're having twins, Ima.”

Ziva grabbed Tali in a tight hug. “Oh my, you're having twins!” After a few moments Ziva released her from the hug, happy tears streaming from her eyes.

“When are they due?” Rivka asked. She was smiling, also.

Tali turned to Rivka. “They're due in January 2042, really looking forward to it.” She held up a finger. “Before you go start asking, we chose to not know until time of birth if they're boys or girls or a boy and girl.”

A collective “Awwww!” rose up from the family members.

Tali laughed. “We wanted it to be a surprise for you all.”

Just then, little Sarah walked over and tried to climb up onto her lap. “Ima, me tired.”

Ziva looked at Sarah, patting her back, then looked up Tali, “Aww, she sure got worn out from everything.” Ziva smiled.

Tali cradled Sarah. “Yeah, I think she is tired too.”

McGee looked at Tony and laughed. “Hey bro, looks like more elflets in your clan soon, right?”

Tony chuckled. “Right. Their problem now, not mine.”

McGee chuckled.

Ziva shook her head and smiled. “More grandchildren for us to enjoy.”

Rivka held up a finger and said, “Always a fun thing to see the cycle of life go on, more memories to create and cherish.” Rivka tilted her head, looking at McGee, Tony and Ziva.

“Got a point there.” Tony shrugged with a smile.

McGee nodded, patting Tony's shoulder.

Ziva smiled at Rivka. “Exactly, Ima.”

“Anyone else have any exciting news?” Tony looked around at the children sitting around front of him and Ziva.

“Uhm.” Becky cleared her throat, “John's got some good news, don't you?” She looked at John.

John blushed slightly. “Uhm. Well, you know, I've been working the beat for three years now?” He looked at the other family members for a second, then took a deep breath before continuing. “Well, apparently, they seem to have seen something in me, and I just got promoted to detective.”

McGee sat up, eyes wide with surprise and happiness. “Whoa, way to go! Detective John in the house!” He shot a fist up in the air.

Tony pumped a fist in the air as well. “Ooh-rah, way to knock it out of the ballpark!”

John held up his hands. “I'd like to say one more thing.” Everybody quieted down and watched John. “Okay, here we go,” he silently whispered to himself as he rubbed his hands together for a moment, trying to calm his sudden nervousness. He turned to face Becky, then got down to one knee. “Rebecca Joy DiNozzo, will you marry me?”

Becky gasped, then squealed in delight. “Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!” She grabbed John in a tight hug before he could get up.

A collective gasp, then cheers arose from everybody else. Shouts of “Congratulations!” filled the backyard as everybody got up and hugged each other in happiness.

Tony and McGee slowly looked at each other, surprise obvious on their faces. “Now look what we've done,” Tony muttered to McGee.

McGee slowly shook his head. “This is not what I expected, at all.”

Ziva laughed at the two. “Now look what you've started. Remember what I told you years ago?” She clicked her tongue and winked at Tony, smiling.

Tony laughed. “Who could forget? For that matter, I didn't expect this either.”

Ziva held out her hands in the air and smiled. “None of us did. Our blessings have grown indeed.”

Ethan clapped his hands. “Way to go, Becky and John!”

AJ got up and walked to the edge of the deck and looked out over the backyard and sighed. Channah followed closely behind. “You okay, AJ?” Channah asked.

AJ looked at Channah. “Yeah, I'm okay. Just a lot on my mind right now,” he whispered to Channah.

Channah leaned her head on his shoulder and held him in her embrace. “It'll be alright. Just talk with them,” she whispered.

Tony suddenly noticed the two standing at the edge of the deck. “You alright over there?” Tony called out to AJ and Channah.

AJ jumped slightly and looked at Tony. “Uhm.” He cleared his throat, then looked at Channah, then back to Ziva and Tony. “I have a little problem.” He let go of Channah and took a couple steps toward Tony. “I think I made an oopsie.” AJ muttered just loud enough for Tony and Ziva to hear.

A short pause, then Tony said, “I see.” He took a long intake of breath, his face changing.

Ziva's face also changed. “And you came to talk with us about it and you didn't know how to approach us?”

“I better take my camera stuff inside,” Ethan said, hastily gathering up the camera equipment.

Tali started helping. “I'll help.” She turned to Ben. “Could you take the kids in please?”

Ben smiled. “Sure, not a problem.” He gently ushered the kids into the house.

Becky got up. “Dad, John and I've got something to show you in the house, but it can wait.” She had seen the look on Tony and Ziva's face when AJ had approached them. She turned to John. “I think we better go in for a bit,” she whispered.

“Oh, yeah, I got something in the car to show you, Dad. C'mon, follow me.” John smiled and beckoned McGee to follow him.

Rivka got up. “I'm going inside as well. It's a little chilly out.” She slowly made her way into the house.

Almost before the four of them knew it, they were all alone on the deck.

Tony sighed. “Okay, now, what kind of 'oopsie' are you talking about?”

Ziva suddenly had a hunch as to what AJ was trying to say, and she quickly took ahold of Tony's hand. “Hold up, Tony.” She turned to AJ. “So, you made a mistake, is that what you're trying to say?”

AJ sighed and nodded.

“What now?” Tony tilted his head, looking at AJ. “Did you try to book a trip to Paris and end up with a trip to Transylvania instead?”

AJ let out a snort. “No, it's not that. I, er, got Channah pregnant.”

Tony sat back and sighed. “Oh.” This matter-of-fact answer caught him completely off guard.

“It's not the end of the world, AJ.” Ziva's smile put AJ at ease. “It happened with us, too.” She looked at Tony, still smiling, then looked back at AJ. “I wasn't married until right before you were born, in fact.”

AJ turned sharply to Ziva. “You mean you and Dad -”

Ziva shook her head. “Yes, we made our own mistakes in the past. Look at Tali and you.” She held up a finger, forestalling any comment from AJ. “Look, everyone makes mistakes here and there in life. But what's important is that you learn from it and have a plan for your future. You're almost 21, you've got school and a life ahead of you, a good job.”

AJ nodded. “Her dad's the big concern for me. What will he say when he finds out? He's gonna bust a nut, for sure.”

Tony let out a short chuckle. “Well, son. You afraid he's gonna chop you off at the knees for violating the honor of his daughter?” Tony waggled his eyebrows. He made the snip-snip motion with one hand. “Snip-snip!”

AJ blushed slightly, but still chuckled. “Maybe not that far, but you know the kind, right?”

Tony made a noncomittal facial expression and held his hands out in the air.

Ziva nodded. “We understand. You're welcome in this house any time, Channah, should your parents give you any problems.”

Channah smiled. “Thanks, Ziva.”

AJ nodded with a deep breath. “Thanks, Ima.”

“Channah, when is the baby due?” Ziva asked Channah.

Channah nodded with a smile, “February 2042, somewhere in there.”

AJ spoke up. “Right, one month after Tali has her twins. Wow.” AJ shook his head, chuckling at the thought of three babies crying or laughing in the near future.

~~February 2042, AJ & Channah's Boston home~~

Ziva and Tony had flown in to Boston from visiting Tali and her family in Israel to pay a visit with AJ and Channah and to welcome their new baby daughter into their family after having been born just a few days ago.

Ziva and Tony were sitting by each other on the couch, holding the newborn. They looked up at the new parents, who were beaming with joy. “This baby's so beautiful. What name did you decide for the baby?” Ziva asked.

AJ looked at Channah, who said, “We've thought about a bunch of different names, but we decided upon Olivia Anne. It just seemed... right.” Channah smiled.

AJ nodded. “That olive grove's been my favorite place all these years. That's part of why we chose that name.”

“Oh, wow, a beautiful name.” She smiled at the baby. “Hello, Olivia,” she softly spoke to the baby, gently rubbing the top of her head as she slept peacefully.

Channah nodded. “Thanks. So far, she's been very good.” She laid a hand on baby Olivia's back and gently rubbed it for a couple of moments.

Tony nodded and smiled. “How'd your parents take the news? Did they get the chance to see the baby yet?”

“Oh yeah.” Channah's face turned into slight puzzlement and baffled expression. “Even though AJ and I got married before the baby was born, which I'm very glad about, my Abba's not speaking with me. He won't even look at me.” She scoffed. “My mom is more understanding, why can't he be understanding?

Ziva nodded in understanding. “Ah, maybe being Israeli, he may have a different perspective than someone like Tony, for example. So, your mother did come?”

Channah nodded. “Yeah, she did come yesterday. We had a little talk, and I think she's more forgiving than my Abba is.” She flashed a quick smile. “She even got to hold the baby too.” Channah sighed. “Not Abba. He wouldn't even look at the baby, either.”

Before Ziva could say something, the baby woke up and started becoming fussy. Ziva looked down at the baby. “I think she wants her mommy now,” she said, picking the baby up and giving her to Channah.

Channah took the baby into her arms, chuckling at Ziva. “Yeah, I think she does. I'll be back in a few minutes.” She turned to leave the room.

Tony turned to AJ and patted his shoulder. “Doing alright so far, my man?”

AJ sighed and nodded. “Yeah, been doing great. Glad you all came to see us. Means a lot to us. How's Tali and her family been?”

Ziva patted AJ's shoulder. “Tali and the family are doing good.” Ziva paused to get her phone to show pictures of Tali's babies that she was holding. “Here, look, there they are.”

AJ looked at the pictures. “Oh, cute! What are their names?” He looked back up at Ziva.

Ziva pointed to the boy in the picture. “This is Matan.” She shifted her finger to point at the girl. “And that is Leah. Brett and Sarah are so happy to be big siblings to these babies already.”

AJ nodded and smiled. “I'm happy to hear that Tali and her kids are doing well. How's Savta been doing?”

Ziva took a deep breath and sighed. “That's another story. She's doing okay, has some good days, and some bad days.” She cleared her throat slightly. “Slowing down a lot. Your aunt Jessica is helping her out a lot, but I'll take turns helping soon.”

AJ sighed, thinking back to what Rivka had said at her last visit. “Savta said something about the circle of life. I didn't understand it, at first. I think I'm beginning to understand, now.” He looked at baby Olivia's basinette in the living room, biting his lips. He suddenly had this sense that his beloved Savta was coming to the end of her golden days.

Ziva nodded. “Your Savta did know something, then. As one life comes to an end, another begins. Only with our family, one ends, three begins.”

~~Somewhere in Kenya Around September 2042~~

Near the city of Nairobi, the tour jeep driver pointed his jeep carrying Ethan, Tony, Ziva and McGee toward a protected wildlife reserve. Everywhere they went, they saw amazing views and heard sounds not heard in their lifetime: herds of kudu roaming over the vast savannah plains, elephants in the distance, hearing the occasional roar of lions.

“Wow, this is something,” McGee muttered to himself as he looked out over the landscape at the wildlife.

Ethan sat by the window looking out at the parched landscape, marvelling at the views. Suddenly, a flash of tan exploded from the bushes as a male lion ran out and chased down a kudu, but the kudu barely escaped its clutches and ran for it. “Oh!” Ethan jumped back from the window a bit; the lion had jumped out at the kudu coming very close to Ethan's window.

“Oi!” The tour jeep driver slammed on the brakes as the lion ran around the front of the bus, chasing the kudu.

“Wow!” Tony gasped at the raw power of the lion. “Look at that!” He pointed to the lion.

Ethan quickly put his camera up to his eye and took aim, and just at the right moment, fired off a few rapid shots, capturing the lion/kudu conflict in all its majesty just as the kudu managed to slip free of the lion by running into a nearby river, jamming up the lion.

“Got it!” Ethan turned back to smile at Tony and Ziva, before turning back to his camera. He managed to zoom in and capture the frustrated, angry look of the lion's face as he realized he'd lost his chance at lunch, again.

Ziva looked at Ethan, who was fully enjoying his trip. She turned to Tony. “Look at him. Really loves his photography.” She sighed.

Tony nodded. “Yeah. He's on cloud nine, you can see it in his face.”

McGee nodded with a smile, “Tony, we sure never thought of this. We would never have known how cool this is without Ethan, right?”

“I don't think any one of us would have known if Ethan hadn't made a mention of wanting to come here for a vacation trip.” Ziva smiled. “Worth it, though.” She held out a hand toward Ethan. “I'm sure we'll have some really good pictures from this trip as well.”

The tour jeep driver started up the jeep again, and they drove on to the wildlife reserve. After approximately an hour's drive, they arrived and got out of the jeep where they could sit and observe wildlife around them. Ethan went off a short distance to set up his camera equipment, and almost before he was finished, a couple of older men approached him.

Tony and Ziva were too preoccupied at first to notice, their attention drawn by a herd of elephants appearing nearby. “Oh, didn't expect you to turn up, Dumbo,” he laughed at the closest one.

The elephant walked closer to Tony and reached his trunk out and caressed the top of Tony's head.

McGee laughed. “I think he likes you, Tony.”

Ziva laughed and walked toward Tony. “No, we're not taking him home.”

Tony guffawed as the elephant continued coiling his trunk up and caressing the top of Tony's head.

Unbeknownst to Tony and Ziva, Ethan had noticed the elephant, and he quickly turned the camera around to point toward the elephant and zoomed in to get a tight-frame shot, perfectly capturing Tony's bemused expression as the elephant ran his trunk over the top of Tony's head, and pressed the shutter button, forever preserving the image.

“Nice shot.” Ethan turned to the sound of the voice behind him. “I bet that'd make it into the National Geographic magazine.” A tall, lanky man stood before him, two cameras draped across his neck. He extended his hand. “Robert Olson.”

Ethan chuckled, extending his hand and shaking the man's hand. “Ethan DiNozzo, and thanks.” His eyes flicked down to the cameras, then back up to Robert's face. “You do photography as well, I take it?”

“Yeah, I do.” Robert pointed to Ethan's head. “What are those? I don't think I've seen them before.”

Ethan reached up and touched the headpiece on his sound processors. “These? Those are for my sound processors, they help me to hear. Meningitis took my hearing when I was young.”

Robert's eyebrows shot up in amazement. “Wow, and you can hear again? That's amazing.” He pointed toward Ethan's camera. “Could I see that shot you took?”

Ethan smiled. “Sure, I also got some pictures between a lion and kudu earlier.”

Robert's eyes lit up. “Oh, cool!”

Just then, Tony and Ziva walked up. “Enjoying it here?” Ziva asked, signing the word “enjoy”.

Ethan looked at Ziva and smiled. “Yeah, wait til you see this.” He flipped the camera to picture view mode and flipped the photo to show that one Tony and the elephant.

Tony laughed. “That shot sure makes it look like the elephant's trying to adjust my hairdo for the region.”

Ziva laughed. “I just walked in at the right time, look.” She pointed to the far left side, where it showed Ziva just stepping into frame, looking directly at Tony.

Robert laughed. “That's a good shot right there.”

“And the lion and kudu shots,” Ethan said, flipping through the photos, stopping for a few seconds on each image.

“Oh, stop, right there!” Robert suddenly said and pointed to an image where the kudu had just slipped the lion's clutches and the lion's facial expression changed to that of total surprise. “Look at that lion, the way he knows he's screwed.” He looked up at Ethan. “Hey, could you send me those pictures, and I can show my people?” Seeing the doubt rise up in Ethan's face, he quickly added, “Just to show 'em. If they like it, maybe we can work out a deal with you. What do you say?”

Ethan stood there, considering the offer. “Hmm. I still have copyright over these photos?”

Robert nodded. “Oh, definitely. Magazine policy says the credit always goes to the person who took that picture.”

Ethan tilted his head slightly, considering it further. “I'll think about it. How do I contact you?”

“Oh, yes. My card.” Robert reached into his top pocket and pulled out a tattered business card. “Don't meet too many people out here in this neck of the woods these days. Here you go.” He handed the business card to Ethan, who took it.

“Thanks.” Ethan smiled, pocketing the business card.

~~Sometimes around November 2042~~

At the Olive Grove Home, in the late afternoon, Rivka and Ziva were sitting in the living room on the couch. “So, everything's been going well, Ethan's really enjoyed it out in Africa,” Ziva said to Rivka.

Rivka smiled at the photos that Ziva showed her. “The elephant with Tony, I'd like to put that on the fireplace mantel, if you don't mind?”

Ziva chuckled. “I knew you'd like that. I had this one framed for you.” She got up and put the picture on the fireplace mantel, then returned to her seat.

“That looks good up there,” Rivka said.

Ziva nodded. “Now he gets reminded every time he walks through the door. That picture's the first thing he sees, because I put it right across from the entryway door.”

Rivka laughed. Just then, the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway reached their ears, and Rivka sat up and looked out the window. “Someone's here,” she said.

Ziva looked out the window and saw Becky, John, McGee, AJ and his family all got out of the SUV. “Oh, looks like everyone's here now.”

Rivka stood up and looked out the window. “I see Tali coming over now.” She pointed out the window at Tali and her family crossing the street and making their way toward the house. She made her way to the kitchen to get started just as the family started filing through the entranceway.

Moments later, Ethan and Tony walked in, carrying in the groceries. “Food's here!” Tony called out.

“Oh, good, let me take that to the kitchen.” Ziva quickly walked over to meet Tony and take some sacks of groceries from Tony, then took them in to the kitchen.

“I'm starting the grill up,” Tony said, heading out to the backyard to cook the birthday dinner for Ziva.

“I'll help out,” McGee said and followed Tony.

Eventually, after everybody had finished eating the dinner, Tali brought out Ziva's birthday cake that she'd baked earlier in the day. As she set it down on the table, everyone started singing in Hebrew, wishing Ziva a happy birthday. On it, were 60 candles, all ablaze.

“Oh, wow, that's a lot of candles,” Tony chuckled at Ziva.

Olivia, Matan, and Leah squealed in delight at the sight of the birthday cake and the candles and slapped their hands on their high-chair tables in front of them.

“Savta!” Four-year-old Sarah clambered up onto Ziva's lap. “Candles!” She pointed to the candles.

“Yes, a lot of candles.” Ziva smiled at Sarah. She felt a tug on her sleeve, and she turned to the tug.

Five-year-old Brett was standing by her side, holding onto her shirt sleeve, looking at the candles, transfixed.

“Come here, Brett.” She reached down and pulled Brett up on her other lap. “See the cake?”

Brett turned to Ziva and smiled. “Oh, yes, cake!” He pointed to the cake.

“Sixty candles! Let's see if Savta Ziva can blow all of them out.” Tony laughed. “Hey, Eth', get your camera ready.”

Ethan jumped up and got his camera ready. “Ready!”

Ziva looked around her with a smile at all of the family members, then looked at the cake. “Ready? Here we go!” She took a deep breath, and blew at the candles, blowing out a majority of them. The two older grandchildren joined in with blowing the rest of the candles out.

The click of the camera shutter was drowned out by laughter as everybody laughed at how the grandchildren “helped” Ziva blow out the candles.

After everyone had their fill of birthday dinner and cake, everyone went to the living room where everyone sat down in a large circle, with a blanket placed in the center of the room. Tali and Ben placed the twins on the blanket, followed by Channah placing Olivia on the blanket before sitting down on the floor in front of the blanket.

Tony sighed. “What a day, right?” He looked over at Ziva.

Ziva looked over at Tony and smiled. “Wouldn't trade it for anything.”

Ziva and Tony walked over and sat on the love seat and scanned the room, looking at their grown children, McGee, and Rivka, smiling. They then looked down at the happy children on the floor, and at Tali and Channah , who were was sitting next to each other on the floor not far from the couch.

Tony looked at the family. “Four generations sitting in one room.” He scratched his head and looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look on his face. “We should make a picture of that.”

Rivka gasped. “That's right, four generations.”

Ziva nodded and turned to Ethan and made a picture-taking motion. “We need a picture.”

Ethan's face brightened. “You want me to take a family picture?”

Tali looked up at Ethan and smiled. “I think that's a good idea. We'll set up for the family picture.” She moved to sit in front of the couch and brought the twins closer to her.

“Here, let me sit with Olivia,” Channah said. “AJ, you sit next to me.”

“Okay, sounds good.” AJ smiled and sat next to Channah.

“Right here, in front of me, John.” McGee called out to his son and pointed to the floor in front of him. “Becky next to you, too.”

“Savta, you sitting next to Ima and Dad?” Becky asked.

“Oh, sure, I can do that.” Rivka sat on the recliner next to the love seat.

Ethan pulled his camera out of the bag and set it on top of his tripod and adjusted the camera as the family members settled into their positions. A quick glance through the viewfinder, and a couple of adjustments had everyone fitting neatly within the frame. “Okay, everybody ready?”

“Yes!” Tony called out.

AJ raised his hand for a moment. “Take the picture when you're ready.”

“I've got the camera on timer, so when I press the button I gotta sit next to... AJ, I guess it is.” Ethan stepped off to the side to ensure that he would clear the tripod, then when he was satisfied that everything was ready, he pressed the shutter button and quickly got into position and waited as the camera counted down. At the last second, he said, “Say cheese!”

Everybody said “Cheese!” just as the camera snapped the picture.

After a few hours of family visiting time, it was time for Tali, Ben and their children to go home to get some rest for the night. It was a good thing that they only lived across the street, so it only took them a couple of minute's walk. AJ, Channah and Olivia had joined with Tali and Ben for the night, while Becky and John had gone upstairs for the night. Rivka had gone to bed already. Tony and Ziva was cleaning up before heading up to bed when they noticed Ethan standing by the window in the living room, looking out, a thoughtful look on his face.

Tony walked up to Ethan. “Something on your mind, bud?”

Ethan jumped slightly and turned to Tony. “Oh, not much. Just thinking about things.”

“What things?” Ziva walked up beside Tony.

Ethan sighed and looked at Ziva. “Well. Remember that Africa trip we took? The pictures I took?”

An eyebrow shot up Ziva's face. “Yes? What about 'em? I loved those pictures.” She smiled at Ethan.

Ethan smiled. “Well, apparently, people liked my photos well enough that they sent me an email. Asking me to work for them for six months.”

“What?” Tony gasped. “My boy! That's awesome!”

Ziva's face was radiant with excitement. “Ethan! That's wonderful news!”

Ethan smiled. “Thanks.” The smile faded on his face. “But, that means I'll be gone for six months or so.” His hands fell to the sides as he looked at Ziva, then Tony. “You'll be okay while I'm gone?”

Ziva walked closer to Ethan. “Ethan, are you worried about leaving me and your Dad alone?”

“Kind of. Everybody else's got their own lives now. What about you two?” Ethan shrugged.

“Oh that.” Ziva batted her hand in the air. “We've got Uncle Tim to keep us busy.” She smiled at Ethan. “Besides, you kids will come out and visit every once in a while.”

“We'll also travel, don't forget.” Tony added.

Ziva nodded. “I'll also be helping your aunt Jessica take care of your Savta.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, I will miss watching you wrack each other's minds and having fun.” Ethan chuckled at the memory of hearing his parents and McGee ribbing each other with their trademark sense of humor.

“Hey, don't forget. This is your new tomorrow, now, Ethan.” Ziva clapped her hands on Ethan's shoulders and looked him square in the eyes. “I want you to take the world head-on, explore it. Live in it. You've made me proud of who you are.”

Tony smiled and clapped Ethan on his shoulder. “Just goes to show it doesn't always take college know-how to land a good job.” He pointed in the general direction of Ethan's photo equipment. “Sometimes all it takes is a knack for something to get someone noticed.”

Ethan nodded and smiled at his parents. “Thanks for helping me out with my decision.” He signed ILY and said, “I love you both tons.” He turned to go upstairs to his room.

Tony called out after Ethan. “Love you, my son.”

Ethan stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to Tony. “Love you.”

Ziva held out an ILY sign and said, “See you in the morning, love you.”

Tony and Ziva watched Ethan going upstairs, then after a moment, Tony turned to Ziva, and noticed tears streaming tears down Ziva's cheeks. “Hey, hey, now,” he said softly to Ziva as he reached out to gently wipe the tears from Ziva's cheeks, and then pulled her closer to him, stroking her hair away from her face. “I've got you, sweetcheeks.”

Ziva looked up at Tony. “Family is everything to us. All these years, we've made it through, raising our family.” She took a deep breath. “Look at how wonderful they've become.”

“I can hardly believe it myself,” Tony's whisper reached Ziva's ears. “Was a good challenge, but we done it.”

Ziva nodded in Tony's arms. After a couple of moments, she said, “A new tomorrow for us, now. Like my Ima said, the cycle of life continues.”

Tony nodded and hugged her closer. “Yeah, and we get to watch our children have their new tomorrows as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Dear Readers, This chapter is the final one in this story arc. Keep an eye out for a new story arc to come out soon. Thank you all for your reviews, DM's Tweets and Kudos.


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